A 20-year road map for the future
When the most powerful earthquake in Japan’s history devastated northern Honshu in March, it rocked buildings in Tokyo, and the tsunami that came after touched the shores of Oregon and Chile. Countries from South America to Canada went on the alert. The event was, first and foremost, a national tragedy of historic scale. But the reckoning will be global. In the most terrible way, the earthquake was a reminder of just how much Japan matters.
Although work on Reimagining Japan began long before the earthquake hit, the issues the book addresses are no less relevant in its aftermath. McKinsey invited 80 men and women from around the world to contemplate the challenges and opportunities facing the country as it recovers. Contributors include CEOs, economists, Japan scholars, foreign-policy experts, authors, and journalists, as well as stars from sports and culture.
Among the contributions, Heang Chhor, the former head of McKinsey Japan, offers a 20-year road map that suggests the direction the country should take. Why 20 years? Because Japan must make fundamental changes. The country will need time to assess the implications of these and other proposals, to win acceptance for them, and to implement them on a large scale. Reimagining Japan cannot be done otherwise.
Among the priorities: restructuring and globalizing Japanese companies, changing the educational system, adapting to troubling demographic trends, attracting foreigners, and building closer ties with Asia. One consistent element running through this list—and indeed throughout Reimagining Japan—is the need for more openness and collaboration with the rest of the world.