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The Japanese Electronics Industry
Preface

Wataru Nakayama
William Boulton
Michael Pecht




The growth of the Japanese electronics industry in the increasingly integrated world economy has been driven by a combination of market forces and the unique characteristics of the Japanese social organization and people. The Japanese electronics industry, as an industrial phenomenon, has received considerable attention from researchers in various fields: economists, technology watchers, historians, market researchers, journalists, and government-sponsored study teams. Broadly categorized in the light of their foci, the existing literature about the Japanese electronics industry falls into two groups. The studies in one category are the analyses of the historical development of the electronics industry in Japan. The purpose of such studies is to find out the secret of the enormous commercial success achieved by the industry. The other type consists mainly of reports published in the United States, which focus on the issue of America's competitiveness in the face of challenges from Japanese technology.

The electronics industry is now a leading component of the Japanese industrial infrastructure, and thus an indispensable topic in the study of Japanese industry and companies. Moreover, the electronics industry is rooted in Japanese society, so that it is often discussed in studies of Japanese society and culture. When the information dispersed in published books and papers about Japan, her industries and her electronics industry are combined, the available knowledge about the subject is voluminous. Why another book on the Japanese electronics industry?

For one reason, the rapid pace of technological development and the concomitant change in the industrial landscape require frequent updating of the relevant information. For another, the study of such a complex subject demands multiple viewpoints because it has to deal with technical, social, and cultural matters. Because of the social and cultural implications, no study can be free from bias implanted in investigators cultivated by their own upbringing and current environment. Most of these books and study reports available to readers in the West were written by experts who stayed in or visited Japan, interviewed key players of the industry, and studied government and corporate statistics. Those who became acquainted with corporate gurus tend to praise the achievements of the Japanese electronics industry. If the investigator is sent from a foreign company in danger of extinction in this highly competitive market, his or her report could be critical of Japanese practices.

The first author of the present book is Japanese and worked for almost twenty years in a Japanese company, taught at a Japanese university for more than six years, and came to work for an American university. With such personal experience, our hope is to portray the Japanese electronics industry from the angle of an insider but with a conscious attempt to be an objective observer, as difficult as that may be. The second author, Dr. William Boulton, has lived and worked in Japan as an executive, professor, and research scholar, and has authored numerous articles and reports on Japan and its electronics industry. The third author, Dr. Michael Pecht, has been leading research efforts on Asian electronics and published several books on the subject.

This book is intended for general readers. Chapters 1 and 2 provide background information. Chapter 3 describes the history of the Japanese electronics industry and attempts to illuminate its characteristics. Chapter 4 presents the current state of the industry based on a collection of data. Chapter 5 deals with research, development and education that are important for the future of the industry.

 

CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgements and Authors' Profiles

Chapter 1 Japan Overview
           1.1 Land
           1.2 Climate
           1.3 Population and Ethnic Groups
           1.4 Language
           1.5 Religion
           1.6 Education
           1.7 Government Structure
           1.8 Modern History

  Chapter 2 Economic Overview
           2.1 Philosophy of Economic Policy
           2.2 Current Economic Conditions
           2.3 Foreign Trade
                           2.3.1 Japanese Exports
                           2.3.2 Japanese Imports
           2.4 Public Spending and Restructuring
                           2.4.1 Impetus for Restructuring
           2.5 Program to Stimulate Foreign Imports into Japan
                           2.5.1 Expanding Japan's Imports
                           2.5.2 Fostering Industrial Cooperation
           2.6 Openness for Trade and Investment
                           2.6.1 International Communication
                           2.6.2 Inward Direct Investment
                           2.6.3 Foreign Access Zones
           2.7 Outward Expansion of Offshore Facilities
                            2.7.1 Mergers and Acquisitions
           2.8 WTO Requirements to Deregulate the Financial Services Industry
                           2.8.1 Foreign Exchange Law
           2.9 U.S. - Japan Relations
                           2.9.1 Japan's Trade Balance with the USA

Chapter 3 History of the Japanese Electronics Industry
           3.1 Basis for Growth After World War II
           3.2 Entrepreneurial Thrusts in Consumer Electronics
                                    3.2.1 SONY and Transistor Radio
                                    3.2.2 The Calculat
                                    3.2.3 Craftsmen in Town Shops
           3.3 The Government and Large Companies
                                   3.3.1 NTT and the DEX Projects
                                   3.3.2 MITI and the VLSI Project
           3.4 Trade Friction
           3.5 Synopsis of History to the End of the 1980s

Chapter 4 The Japanese Electronics Industry Today
           4.1 Maturity of the Japanese Electronics Market
           4.2 Japan's Electronics Market Position
           4.3 The Micro-electronics Industry Structure
           4.4 Miniaturization of Electronic Products
                              4.4.1 Electronic Packaging Technologies
           4.5 Overall Landscap
                              4.5.1 Semiconductors
                              4.5.2 Semiconductor Equipment
                              4.5.3 Computers
                              4.5.4 Computer Peripherals
                              4.5.5 Telecommunications
                              4.5.6 Components and Packaging
                              4.5.7 Materials and Process Equipment
                              4.5.8 Electronics Manufacturing Services
                                                   4.5.8.1 EMS Production Technology
                                                   4.5.8.2 EMS Competitors
           4.6 Packaging Portable Computers ¾ An Example from Toshiba Libretto
           4.7 Metrics for Future Electronics Products
                              4.7.1.What are the Overall Size and Weight Requirements of the End Product?
                              4.7.2.What Functionality and Performance is Required of the End Product?
                              4.7.3.What are the Shape Requirementsof the Consumer Products?
                              4.7.4.What are the Cost Requirementsof the End Product?
           4.8 Scenarios for the Future

 Chapter 5 Research, Development, and Education
            5.1 Macro-scale Perspectives
            5.2 Dynamics of Technology Development
            5.3 Investments in the Electronics Industrial
                             5.3.1 R&D Efforts
                             5.3.2 Key-TEC
                             5.3.3 Japanese Research and Development Corporation
           5.4 National Research Institutes and Cooperative Research
           5.5 University Research and Education
                             5.5.1 Faculty and Staff
                             5.5.2 Research Funding
                             5.5.3 Graduates
           5.6 A Vision of Miniaturization
                             5.6.1 Downsizing Electronic Products
                             5.6.2 Japan's Roadmaps
                             5.6.3 Packaging Technologies for the 21st Century

Chapter 6  Epilogue

References

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