ABSTRACT
As we enter the twenty-first century, Japan is being reformatted (see Morris-Suzuki, 1998: 162–7). First, Japanese government ministries and agencies are being reorganised as part of wide-ranging administrative reforms. Parts of the reforms are aimed at ensuring greater public participation and transparency in policy-making. The second major transformation is the technological shift from the ‘old’ economy to the new, where telecommunications, the service sector and e-commerce dominate and demand is consumer-driven. This change is being heralded by the government as Japan's ‘rebirth’. More than ever before, Japan is setting its hopes on science, technology, and research and development (R&D) to guarantee its economic future. While the very structure of the economy is experiencing change, we may see a merging of the old with the new, rather than a repudiation of one for another. There is thus both continuity and change and it is important for us to understand the transformations. In this chapter, I examine these transformations, the policies that underlie them, and their impact on the Japanese people.
