Paper short abstract:

In this paper, we argue that, in order to achieve the goals of Society 5.0, Japanese stakeholders should radically change not only the system of innovation but also the very approach to innovation. In this context, promoting startups should not be a priority.

Paper long abstract:

Society 5.0 was proposed in the 5th Science and Technology Basic Plan (December 2015) as a future society that Japan should aspire to. According to this vision, thanks to advanced digitalization, it will be possible to promote “a human-centered society that balances economic advancement with the resolution of social problem by a system that highly integrates cyberspace and physical space”. In short, in order for Japan to regain its Science, Technology & Innovation (ST&I) edge, it is proposed to apply digital technologies not only to (manufacturing) industries but also to a wide range of services and dimensions of the social life.

In this paper, we argue that, in order to achieve this goal, Japanese stakeholders should radically change not only the system of innovation but also the very approach to innovation. The key issue here is not about the promotion of startups. It is rather about the reconnection between technological dynamics and social dynamics. This means that the priority should be to try to answer to real social needs instead of promoting the acceptability of a given innovation. The focus should be on improvement of wellbeing rather than on competitiveness.

Two conditions are necessary to do so. First, Japanese stakeholders have to remember the research by economists and management specialists thirty years ago (e.g. Aoki & Dore, 1994), which showed that the success of Japanese firms mainly rests on a model of organizational innovation, rather than on technological innovation. Second, Japan should stay away from an outdated Schumpeterian model of innovation that puts too much value on creative destruction. An alternative concept and set of practices – under the label of “care-led innovation” – should facilitate “Society 5.0” by putting science and technology at the service of the society.