“The Business Reinvention of Japan: How to Make Sense of the New Japan, and Why it Matters”(Stanford University Press, 2020)

Schaede Ulrike(Professor, University of California San Diego)

It is an outstanding honor to be awarded the Masayoshi Ohira Memorial Prize. I would like to thank the Masayoshi Ohira Foundation and the selection committee for their support. For 37 years, this award has recognized and supported excellence in academic research on the Pacific Basin Community concept. I am deeply honored that my book has been selected alongside other excellent academic studies as a recipient of this year’s award. It is with a spirit of deep appreciation that I humbly accept this prestigious award. The geopolitical relations in the Pacific Basin are greatly impacted not only by foreign policy, but also by trade, economics and business relations. Trade among companies create relationships and dependencies, and strong brands shape global consumer behavior. Both have a positive effect on politics as well. The growing interdependency within Asian supply chains and among Asian consumer markets are shaping trade negotiations, business patterns, and the aspirations of the next generation. I am humbled that my analysis of the evolving role of Japanese business in the Pacific Basin economy has been found to be a contribution. The reinvention of the KAISHA is relevant not just for Japan domestically, but for the entire region, and the world. It is my hope that more scholars will once again turn to the study of Japanese business and economy, to contribute to a brighter future of mutual respect, collaboration and prosperity.

Profile
Ulrike Schaede is Professor, Japanese Business, at the University of California San Diego. German. She graduated with an M.A. (1987) and Ph.D. (1989) in Japan Studies and Economics from Bonn and Marburg University in Germany. Held various research positions at Hitotsubashi University, and the research centers at the Bank of Japan, RIETI, MOF and DBJ. Since 1994, professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy in 1994. Now also Director of the JFIT Japan Center at UC Sand Diego. Main research interests are business strategy, organization and management, financial markets and innovation in Japan.