Innovation in Japan

—Semiconductor technology, intellectual property, and their exploitation by business—

Abstract

Waves of innovation can be classified into three types : long-term, medium-term, and short-term waves. Regarding long-term waves of innovation in Japan, anti-patent eras when the import of technology has been emphasized and pro-patent eras when independent technology development has been emphasized have alternately come every 30 to 50 years. Japan is currently in its second pro-patent era. The current enhancement of basic research and intensive industrial research and development are expected to lead to a generation of increased innovation. From the viewpoints of semiconductor technology, intellectual property, and their exploitation by business, I discuss innovation in Japan focusing on two successful examples : nonvolatile memory and continuous-grain silicon solid-phase growth technology for LCDs.