Comparative Study About Promoting the Food/Agricultural Industry through Cross-Sectoral Collaboration between Japan and Germany

Abstract

Facing sluggish economic growth and a decline in the competitiveness of traditional industries, it is urgently necessary to promote new and highly competitive industries throughout the country. Overcoming this challenge will require the utilization of the potentials of each region and the promotion of cross-sectoral collaborations between actors of different fields toward developing more sophisticated industrial frameworks. For that goal, the management to facilitate cross-sectoral collaborations is indispensably needed. Based on the awareness of the issue, this study conducts a comparative study of the cases in Japan (Yabu-city and Niigata-city) and Germany (Bavaria) where proactive approaches are taken for promoting competitive food/agricultural industries, which have high growth potential through cross-sectoral collaborations. The study clarified the similarities and differences between the cases. These findings are analyzed and interpreted, and future research issue is described.