The purpose of this paper is to conduct a preliminary exploration on how Japanese entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia advance their entrepreneurial processes. Research on Japanese entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia is still in its early stages. In this paper, we utilize social capital as a theoretical framework and review the relevant prior research. In addition, interview data from six Japanese entrepreneurs is analyzed to explore the mechanisms through which they advance their entrepreneurial processes. The analysis reveals those Japanese entrepreneurs progress through their entrepreneurial processes by integrating their human capital, social capital, and venture strategies. Furthermore, it was found that they utilize three different types of social networks depending on the stage of the entrepreneurial process. This exploratory study contributes to the theorization process in a research area with limited prior studies.

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the perspectives that multinational enterprises should consider when considering optimal relocation destinations with a focus on cooperative and mutually beneficial relationships in the context of the Thailand plus one strategy. In Thailand plus one strategy, although the value chain between companies in recent years has been conducted at arm’s length, it has been replaced by an interdependent and collaborative relationship rather than an adversarial relationship. In order to enhance one’s competitive advantage, the concept of value chains is necessary, and by considering global value chains as “relationship networks” in social, institutional, and organizational contexts, value is shared among the multiple actors that form them, and it is important to realize shared value. The development of regional value chains in the Mekong region needs to be considered not only in terms of zero-sum competitive relationships and master-servant relationships but also by adding a cooperative dimension (Fujioka, 2021). In this paper, we reexamined global value chains by using embeddedness as a central concept. Embeddedness is the idea that “economic activities and economic systems are embedded in social relationships and environments” (Iriyama, 2019), and we have adopted it as a central concept because we believe it brings a new perspective to existing research when considering the cooperative and mutually beneficial relationships of Thailand plus one strategy. In this paper, we conducted a systematic review of previous research, extracted important elements, and inductively organized and classified the perspectives that multinational companies should take into account when considering the optimal relocation destination. Through this paper, we aim to contribute to the theorization process while making academic and practical contributions to Thailand plus one strategy.

This study aims to visualize the policy characteristics and evolution of China’s Western Development Strategy using text mining techniques. A total of 1,466 policy documents issued by central and local governments between 2000 and 2023 were analyzed through frequency analysis, co-occurrence network analysis, and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). The results show that in the first stage (2000–2004), the strategy primarily focused on infrastructure development and economic growth, with notable emphasis on preferential measures for enterprises and the promotion of opening-up. The second stage (2005–2009) emphasized institutional development, including regional cooperation, institutional reform, and the promotion of socialist principles. In the third stage (2010–2023), attention shifted toward the development of soft infrastructure, such as human resource cultivation and public service enhancement, along with the promotion of the digital economy, fostering of emerging industries, institutionalized environmental protection policies, and strengthening of international cooperation—elements often overlooked in previous qualitative studies. Across all periods, political stability and national integration consistently accompanied economic development. Future research directions include incorporating analyses of public opinion and social responses, verifying the alignment between policy priorities and actual outcomes using socio-economic statistics, and applying dynamic analytical methods such as HDP-LDA to capture the temporal evolution of policies.