Focus Newsletter

JETRO's Focus Newsletter series provides readers with a bi-monthly snapshot of Japan's macroeconomy, as well as other important topics and trends. It is designed to analyze current developments, including those relating to Japan's economy, its business, financial, investment and political environment, as well as relevant social and cultural themes.  Subscribe online to JETRO Focus

Recent editions have covered issues including rising entrepreneurship and investor interest in Japan, the economic integration of East Asia, changing business and corporate practices, structural and corporate reform and the potential impact of postal savings reform.

 Download the July 2007 Newsletter (540 KB)

Japan Expands Boundaries of Design, Technology, and Innovation
With all the excitement that currently exists about growth and business opportunities in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and other emerging economies, insufficient attention is paid to...

Japanese Innovation Has Revolutionized Design, Consumer Products, and Manufacturing for more than 50 Years
From humble beginnings manufacturing transistor radios, appliances and other electronic, and light industrial products, Japanese firms began to appreciate the critical importance of...

Japanese Design Embraces Aesthetics, Function, and Simplicity
For their design ideas, Japanese companies drew upon traditional values as well as the principles of the Bauhaus. The Bauhaus was a modernist art and architecture school in Germany that...

The Japanese Aesthetic Has Become Integral to Total Experience and Lifestyle Design
Japan’s design and manufacturing success in the 1970s and 1980s transformed it into an export powerhouse, and led to its emergence as the world’s...

Japanese Influence on Design and Product Development Rises in Era of Increased Global Cooperation
As recently as five to ten years ago design-oriented companies such as Toyota set up local offices within key foreign markets whose purpose was to...

Japanese Design Talent Has Given Japanese Firms an Invaluable Edge
The 1980s were a time of considerable economic success for Japan. From the 1990s onward, however, Japanese firms have confronted a more difficult operating environment. This includes...

Japan Remains an Essential Market for any Firm Focused on Future Trends and Lifestyle Products
Commenting on Japan’s importance as a center of design, Juha Christensen, president of mobile and devices at software maker Macromedia Inc., recently told Business Week he always stops by...