Book written by 2004 Abe Fellow Kathryn Ibata-Arens based on her project “The Local Political Economy of Innovation in Japan and the United States:  A New Policy Model?” 

Japan’s innovators and entrepreneurs are a real success story against the odds, surviving recession in the 1990s to prosper in today’s competitive business environment. Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Japan explores the struggles of entrepreneurs and civic-minded local leaders in fostering innovative activity, and identifies key business lessons for an economy in need of dynamic change.

Ibata-Arens offers an in-depth analysis of strategy in firms, communities, and in local government. Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Japan examines detailed case studies of high technology manufacturers in Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo, as well as bio-tech clusters in America – demonstrating far-reaching innovation and competition effects in national institutions, and firms embedded within local and regional institutions.

The book is essential reading for academics and students of business, economics, political economy, political science, and sociology. It will also appeal to investors, entrepreneurs, and community development organizations seeking new perspectives on global competition and entrepreneurship in high technology enterprises.