About the Project

Japan is disappearing from Western consciousness. Long the only industrial democracy of non - Western origin, and for decades by far the most successful, its recent economic stagnation - coupled with the spectacular rise of countries such as China,Korea, India, and Brazil - is rendering Japan invisible.

Is Japan irrelevant now? We do not believe so.
The challenges that Japan has faced over the so - called lost two decades are not unique to Japan; Japan is merely the first developed country to have to face them. These challenges include an aging and shrinking population, the increasing cost of public goods,high levels of sovereign debt, energy insecurity, sensitivity and vulnerability to external shocks (as a result of tightly - coupled systems of interdependence), domestic political gridlock, and major gaps in regional and global governance.

Japan is a country with a history of overcoming challenges. It is both resilient and resourceful.
The rest of the world has a strong interest in watching and helping Japan manage its challenges, for how well it does so may in part determine how well others manage theirs.
The purpose of this project is to promote international intellectual dialogue to generate insights and ideas that can work to the benefit of all.