The US often complains about its trade imbalance with Japan, but rarely do you hear about the Japanese affiliates operating in the US and their contribution to lowering that deficit. The number of such affiliates is 1,760, according to US Department of Commerce statistics. These firms shipped products abroad that account for about 9.6 percent of all US exports.
Japan's mass media also lacks an understanding of the current situation. Recently, a television news program featured exported automobiles being loaded onto ships. However, it has been more than 10 years since cars were regarded as the core of Japanese exports; now they make up only 15 percent.
However, Japan's high technology advancements and exports have grown in recent years. Technological exports have expanded to a record high of ?916.1 billion, while technological imports amounted to ?43.01 billion, according to the Management and Coordination Agency.
The US is actually the biggest purchaser of Japanese technology. Until recently a common myth was that Japan was good at manufacturing products but not at developing its own manufacturing technologies. This myth has now been put to rest.
What the US is buying is IT. The fact that Japan has seized IT hardware as a market niche has been reflected in its technological output. It also negates any discussion about the supposed Japanese lack of creativity.
Because the Japanese economy has been in decline for a while, criticizing Japan has become a popular topic. However, the problem lies mainly in the financial and stock industries, which accounted for just 5 percent of the Japanese economy. Manufacturing, which occupies 25 percent of the economy, is still in good health.
I am upset that those who have no knowledge of manufacturing, a key support of the Japanese economy, and its technological trends, are making comments on Japan's present and future by just looking at the money flow.
When we talk about IT, we tend to focus on US perspec-tives, like business licenses. However, Japan's IT strength lies in a different area from the US. The Japanese strength lies in manufacturing, which is strictly protected by the individual companies. Japanese manufacturers are not interested in revealing their proprietary information to the world.
There are many high-tech products which only Japan can produce. The high-tech "i-mode," released by NTT DoCoMo is certainly going to change the world of IT. Discussion at an international conference late last year concentrated on this new mobile phone terminal, completely ignoring PC products.
The significance of Play Station 2 released this year lies in the fact it uses 128-bit microchip. Until recently personal computers used 32 bits or 64 bits. The fact that a game machine had surpassed the level of a PC made computer companies nervous. Even Bill Gates appeared shocked. He has since announced that his company would release a game machine within a year and a half.
I am anxious to know who will be responsible for representing the Japanese perspective on IT at the Okinawa summit. I wonder how many people have good, up-to-date knowledge of IT. My concern is based on my involvement in the US-Japan semiconductor trade negotiations, where non-experts often made useless comments. I sincerely hope real experts will take the stage this time.
When IT is discussed at the summit, I suggest that we demonstrate the latest Japanese technology by preparing experts from both academia and business, even at the risk of leaking corporate secrets.
Hajime Karatsu (
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