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<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\"I have to find a way to change.\"
\"If things keep going this way, we have no future.\"
Small and medium-sized enterprises across Japan share this sense of crisis. The days when the Japanese economy\u2014centered on manufacturing\u2014was hailed worldwide as \u201cJapan as Number One\u201d are now nothing more than a \u201cfairy tale,\u201d and even the collapse of the bubble economy, which marked Japan\u2019s fall from the pinnacle, occurred 30 years ago. Unable to find a way to recover from that shock, Japan has spent 10, 20, and 30 years in a period known as the \u201cLost [Number] Years,\u201d and this has now become the norm.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
At the same time, a new wave of change is beginning to sweep through society. For example, even if people don\u2019t know the details, everyone is familiar with the term \u201cSDGs\u201d (Sustainable Development Goals). At the same time, concepts such as \u201csustainability\u201d and \u201csustainable development\u201d\u2014which the SDGs promote\u2014have quietly taken root in society. The same is true for concepts such as diversity and inclusion. If we look back 10 years, the situation was certainly not like this at all.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Born in 1978, I am currently 45 years old. In the 20th-century world where I spent my childhood, the goal was \u201cgrowth.\u201d The primary indicators of this were GDP and GDP growth rate. Gross Domestic Product\u2014in other words, the concept that \u201chow much we produced\u201d and \u201chow much profit we made\u201d equate to growth, prosperity, and, by extension, happiness. Comparing these figures on a \u201cdomestic\u201d basis\u2014that is, on a country-by-country basis\u2014has long served as a measure of prosperity.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
To say that production volume equates to wealth is, when you look at it another way, the same as saying that wealth is determined by \u201chow much one can consume.\u201d Simply put, the more robust consumption is, the more production will grow due to the relationship between supply and demand. This is why so-called \u201cwealthy people\u201d are seen as symbols of success. Furthermore, in terms of GDP, only the volume of production serves as an indicator; the nature of that production is never questioned.
In contrast, the SDGs assert that sustainability itself is both a value and a goal. There is no concept of seeking quantity here. Nor is the emphasis placed on growth. It\u2019s about development, not production; it\u2019s about sustainability, not growth. Personally, I see this as the essence of the message conveyed by the SDGs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The generation that came of age after 2000 is known as the Millennial generation. Following them is Generation Z. For the majority of these generations, the value of \u201csustainability over growth\u201d is something they can readily embrace. For Generation Z, this value has already become second nature.
By 2025, the population of Millennials and younger generations\u2014who hold these values\u2014will account for more than half of Japan\u2019s workforce (working-age population). This will likely mark a turning point in which Japanese values undergo a significant shift. Then, around 2026, when the effects of this shift actually begin to ripple through society, the realization that \u201cthe times have changed\u201d should become clear.
Incidentally, globally, by 2025, Millennials and younger generations will account for more than 75 percent of the workforce. People\u2019s values will never go back to the way they were.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
For Japan to make a comeback, it must thoroughly understand these changes and successfully ride the wave of the times. The most important key to achieving this is changing our mindset.
So, how should we shift our way of thinking? The answer lies in the concept of the \u201cknowledge-based manufacturing industry.\u201d We at Ribane Co., Ltd. define this concept as follows:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Creating new knowledge by combining existing knowledge. And using that new knowledge to solve unresolved problems.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I believe that, moving forward, all industries in Japan should shift toward becoming knowledge-based manufacturing industries. Through the knowledge-based manufacturing sector, we should solve the mountain of unresolved challenges facing the world and once again become indispensable to the global community. And the key players in this effort will be small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which account for 99.7 percent of all Japanese companies. The purpose of this book is to share this idea with you and work together to build a new era of knowledge-based manufacturing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n To introduce myself briefly, I founded Ribane Co., Ltd. in 2002 together with 15 colleagues. I\u2019ll go into more detail about Ribane in the chapters that follow, but for now, here are its five key characteristics:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n What I\u2019d like you to focus on is that Ribane\u2019s business scope is far broader than one would normally expect (if this were a consulting firm, they would likely be the first to point out that \u201cthe company should select and focus on specific businesses and concentrate its resources there\u201d). In addition to my work at Lifeness, I have been involved in the founding of more than 70 startups to date. The first of these was euglena Co., Ltd., established on August 9, 2005. The journey with Euglena\u2014which has since grown into a company with a market capitalization of over 100 billion yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market\u2014has been a truly significant experience for both me and Lifeness. However, as a general rule, I always introduce myself as \u201cYukihiro Maru, Representative Director and Group CEO of Ribane Co., Ltd.\u201d This is because everything\u2014from euglena and RealTech Holdings to the more than 70 venture companies\u2014stems from Ribane\u2019s vision of \u201cadvancing science and technology and contributing to the planet.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Based on all of these experiences, the conclusion I have reached regarding a strategy to revitalize Japan is the one I mentioned earlier: \u201cAll of Japan\u2019s industries should shift toward knowledge-based manufacturing.\u201d So, for example, even a small-town ramen shop can engage in the \u201cknowledge-based industry.\u201d \u201cWe\u2019re confident in our flavor,\u201d \u201cWe\u2019re experts at providing prompt and efficient service,\u201d \u201cBut the local population is declining, and the outlook for the future isn\u2019t bright.\u201d Let\u2019s imagine there was a ramen shop like that in some town somewhere in Japan. Of course, this isn\u2019t something the owner of a single shop can achieve on his own. However, there are universities all across Japan, and many of them are home to researchers working on cutting-edge food tech. Mechanization and automation of operations are precisely what small local factories all over Japan excel at. When it comes to flavor, we can simply ask people who have come to Japan from other countries\u2014whether for study or work\u2014to serve as taste testers. By combining knowledge in this way, even a small neighborhood ramen shop can generate new insights capable of solving global challenges. There are three things I want to accomplish through the \u201cknowledge manufacturing\u201d industry. First, I want to realize Ribane\u2019s vision of \u201cadvancing science and technology and contributing to the planet.\u201d Second, I want to revitalize Japan through the \u201cknowledge manufacturing\u201d industry. And third, I want to ensure that the knowledge accumulated in Japan over the years is passed on to future generations through this shift toward the \u201cknowledge manufacturing\u201d industry. According to Japan\u2019s generational classifications, those born between 1975 and 1986 find themselves squarely in a \u201cgap\u201d between generations. Above them is the \u201cBaby Boom Junior\u201d generation, which comprises a large portion of the population, and below them is the \u201cYutori\u201d generation, which holds values that differ from those of previous generations. Although their youth coincided with the \u201cemployment ice age,\u201d this generation essentially represents the transitional period from the Showa era to the Heisei era.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n However, precisely because we are a \u201cbridge generation,\u201d we are able to understand both traditional and new values. We have respect for the Showa era shaped by our parents and grandparents, while also harboring high hopes for the new generation that will lead the way into the future. Our generation holds both a sense of urgency\u2014that \u201cthere is no future if Japan remains as it once was\u201d\u2014and the awareness that \u201cwe cannot build a future without preserving the best of Japan\u2019s past.\u201d From this arises a sense of responsibility: \u201cWe must be the ones to bridge Japan\u2019s past and future.\u201d At the very least, every member of the Ribanex executive team feels this mission deeply. In this book, I have attempted to distill the essential elements necessary for building that bridge. In Chapters 1 through 3, I discuss one by one the key concepts\u2014\u201csymbiosis,\u201d \u201cbridging,\u201d and \u201cresearcher\u2019s mindset\u201d\u2014that are indispensable for the shift toward a knowledge-based economy. If small and medium-sized enterprises\u2014which account for 99.7 percent of Japanese companies\u2014can successfully transition to a knowledge-based manufacturing sector, Japan will surely make a comeback. And as a result, global challenges will be resolved one after another, paving the way for a prosperous and bright future. I look forward to building this new era together with all of you. *A New Era for the Knowledge-Based Manufacturing Industry*, the official handbook of the National Conference on the Knowledge-Based Manufacturing Industry. This book explains what the \u201cknowledge-based manufacturing industry\u201d is, what we aim to achieve through the shift toward it, and how\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":9042,"featured_media":524,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tThe Knowledge Industry: Something Anyone Can Get Involved In<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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As a result, we have indeed built a network that spans a far wider area than would normally be conceivable. Moreover, we have expanded this network not only in Japan but also globally. Furthermore, we have accumulated a wealth of knowledge through 20 years of consistent, unwavering activity since our founding in 2002.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Given these circumstances, I currently hold three main titles. The first is Representative Director and Group CEO of Ribance Co., Ltd. The second is Chief Research and Development Officer (CRO), a specialized executive position I currently hold at the aforementioned Euglena Co., Ltd. And third, I am the Representative Director of RealTech Holdings Co., Ltd., the management company for the RealTech Fund, which was launched in 2014 by three companies: euglena Co., Ltd., Ribance Co., Ltd., and SMBC Nikko Securities Inc.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
While I will explain the specifics in detail later in this chapter, the first point I want to emphasize is that anyone can engage in the knowledge-based industry.
You don\u2019t have to be a large corporation. You don\u2019t need to have cutting-edge technology. You don\u2019t even have to be in the manufacturing industry. This is because what the knowledge-based manufacturing industry produces is, ultimately, \u201cnew knowledge.\u201d As those in the manufacturing industry will understand, manufacturing isn\u2019t something that can be done simply by having machinery and equipment. It is precisely because there are people with the necessary knowledge that manufacturing becomes possible.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
On the other hand, looking at the global picture, obesity has become a serious problem in rapidly developing emerging economies due to changes in dietary habits. Consequently, the number of people with diabetes is also rising sharply. For example, in Malaysia in Southeast Asia, the prevalence of diabetes among adults is 16%\u2014approximately twice the global average\u2014while in Pakistan in South Asia, the number of people with diabetes has increased more than fivefold over the past 10 years. Across South Asia as a whole, it is estimated that as many as 220 million people will develop diabetes over the next 20 years.
So, what if a local ramen shop in a town struggling with population decline were to develop healthy noodles made from konjac instead of wheat, streamline its operations through mechanization and automation, and then expand its business to South Asia with its signature flavor? Wouldn\u2019t that local ramen shop suddenly transform into a global food chain?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
By speaking up and saying, \u201cI want to solve this problem,\u201d anyone can work toward solving it. No matter what kind of knowledge it is, by combining it with other knowledge, we can solve problems around the world. This is the very concept of the \u201cknowledge manufacturing industry.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCarrying Japan\u2019s Past Glory Into the Future<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
At the root of this mindset is likely a generational factor. As mentioned earlier, I was born in 1978. Since Lifenex began as a student-run startup, it goes without saying that the founding members are of the same generation. While the current Lifenex executive team includes people other than the founding members, all of them belong to the generation born between 1975 and 1986.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/km.lne.st\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/81\/2024\/03\/df53b0a0f738e230a4c8832678addf50-1024x428.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
As will be explained in more detail in Chapter 2, Lifeness refers to its members as Science Bridge Communicators\u00ae. What we aim to achieve through our \u201cknowledge manufacturing\u201d is nothing less than \u201cbuilding a bridge from Japan\u2019s glorious past to the future.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Chapters 4 through 6 build on these concepts to explain the actions companies should take moving forward. The key terms for each chapter are \u201cDeep Tech,\u201d \u201c4D Thinking,\u201d and \u201cInbound Globalization,\u201d respectively.
Chapter 7 focuses on building the kind of organization needed to realize a \u201cknowledge-based industry.\u201d What kind of organization should companies build going forward? And what kind of messages should top executives convey to create such an organization? This chapter should also prove useful when considering business succession planning.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
My introduction has gone on a bit longer than intended. Let\u2019s now move on to this chapter, which explains the concepts needed to step into the \u201cNew Era of Knowledge Manufacturing.\u201d I\u2019ll do my best to guide you every step of the way so that, by the time you finish reading the final Chapter 7, you\u2019ll truly feel, \u201cIs this the gateway to a new era?\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"