Abstract
At the turn of the century, at a time when globalization is the most prominent consideration, values for various fields such as higher education, health care, medical education, research, business, finance, are shared by a wide spectrum of nations and people due primarily to the advanced means for transportation and communication. These advances have allowed more people to watch and see the outside world and naturally they demand such standards. In this regards, the “Japan Inc” system which has supported Japan for the last century, seems not to function properly and in fact may not be compatible with the “global standards”to compete in these fields which share global values. In this article, I have attempted to describe the basis and the historical background on why Japan cannot compete in this time of “globalization” and on the prospect of Japan even in Asia, a region which will grow in this century, unless some specific measures are taken fairly quickly. Nonetheless, the leadership in Japan may not understand what may be happening and what needs to be done. I also describe recommendations for reforms in health care and in medical education and training.
