Reimagining Japan

Earthquake, tsunami, and the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl: the

triple disasters of March 2011 hit Japan when it was already feeling

vulnerable, its confidence shaken by debt, deflation, and political

inertia. Yet those terrible days also revealed Japan’s strengths, most

notably the sense of community that created order and dignity amid the

chaos. In the short term, no one doubts Japan’s capacity to rebuild, but

the country still faces daunting long-term challenges. Its population is

aging and its workforce shrinking. In trade and diplomacy, it faces new

pressures from a rising China. Many leading Japanese companies have lost

global market share over the past two decades and struggled to become truly

global competitors. Japan still excels at manufacturing, but it has been

slow to develop its service sector. Meanwhile, the country’s education

system continues to emphasize rote learning and cramming at the expense of

innovation and creative thinking.

464For Reimagining Japan: The Quest for a Future That Works, McKinsey invited

80 men and women from around the world to contemplate the challenges and

opportunities facing the country as it recovers from the triple disasters.

Contributors include CEOs, economists, Japan scholars, foreign-policy

experts, authors, and journalists, as well as stars from sports and

culture. This unique and distinguished collection of authors shares

perspectives on Japan in essays that are insightful, thought provoking—and

sometimes contradictory.


Notable contributors include Bernard Arnault, Ian Buruma, Gerald Curtis,

John Chambers, Steven Covey, John Dower, Bill Emmott, Victor Fung, Carlos

Ghosn, Pico Iyer, Bob McDonald, Stephen Roach, Masahiro Sakane, Masayoshi

Son, Howard Schultz, Klaus Schwab, Bobby Valentine, Steve Van Andel, Ezra

Vogel, Robert Whiting, Tadashi Yanai and more than 50 others.