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Vol.18-2 (November 2023)

【50th anniversary of HRI】 The Last 50 Years of the World and Prospects for 2050

Foreword

The Last 50 years and Outlook for 2050

Norihiro Suzuki, Chairman of HRI

Hitachi Research Institute is celebrating its 50th anniversary since its establishment in 1973. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude for the support of past and present executives of Hitachi, Ltd. and the efforts of our senior members and predecessors. In commemoration of HRI’s 50th anniversary, we have published a speci・・・

Norihiro Suzuki

Will the limits to growth come after all?

Kenichiro Mizoguchi, President of HRI

Predictions of the future are often wrong. This is because the data on which predictions are based are usually insufficient, and the phenomena being predicted are generally complex. They also fail because of ontological barriers; that is, the difficulty for those who exist within the system to make predictions about the system to which they belong. The “L・・・

Kenichiro Mizoguchi

HRI Report

Fifty years of history as seen in the “Hitachi Souken" Journal

Yoshiyuki Yamamoto, Deputy General Manager
Hiroto Matsumoto, Senior Chief Researcher

Japan is facing a stagnation of its economy and a decline in its international status. These problems, however, did not come about overnight. They have been going in for over 20 to 30 years. Therefore, dealing with these phenomena entails looking back at the past and finding out where the problems occurred. In this paper, I will look back on the history of Japa・・・

Yoshiyuki Yamamoto, Hiroto Matsumoto

Interview

Self-transforming organization for new value creation

Prof. Ikujiro Nonaka

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Hitachi Research Institute, we invited Professor Emeritus Ikujiro Nonaka, Hitotsubashi University to talk about the approach to become a self-transforming organization that creates new value. Professor Nonaka is an expert in management studies who has written many well-known books, inc・・・

Ikujiro Nonaka and Norihiro Suzuki

The future of the Hitachi Group and the role of Hitachi Research Institute

Mr. Takashi Kawamura

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Hitachi Research Institute, we have invited Mr. Takashi Kawamura, Chairman Emeritus of Hitachi, Ltd., to speak about the role that HRI should play going forward. HRI was established in 1973 at the initiative of Kenichiro Komai, then chairman of Hitachi, Ltd., with the aim of “establishing・・・

Takashi Kawamura and Norihiro Suzuki

Contributions

50 years of Asia-Pacific International Politics and its Prospects: Role of Japanese Government and Enterprises

John J. Hamre,
President, CEO and Langone Chair of CSIS

History constitutes a continuous stream of events, actions, and reactions. While there can be distinct historical epochs, they derive from forces of a continuing nature. But human beings have agency in shaping things going forward. Human beings and human-created institutions might be forced to accommodate forces from the past, but humans have the capa・・・

John J. Hamre

Fifty-year history of the global economy and outlook for the future

Yukio Noguchi,
Professor Emeritus of Hitotsubashi University

Japan is facing a stagnation of its economy and a decline in its international status. These problems, however, did not come about overnight. They have been going in for over 20 to 30 years. Therefore, dealing with these phenomena entails looking back at the past and finding out where the problems occurred. In this paper, I will look back on the history of Japa・・・

Yukio Noguchi

Work in the Past 50 Years, and the Future of Work towards 2050

Lynda Gratton,
Professor of London Business School, Founder of HSM Advisory

Work is central to our lives – and every worker wants to live a good working life. One in which they are happy, fit and healthy. Where they have a decent job and the opportunities to build the resources they need for a prosperous and secure lifestyle. A working life that enables them to balance the need to acquire those resources with other important aspects of th・・・

Lynda Gratton

From GDP to GGW: A historic shift in the index of affluence

Takashi Maeno,
Professor of Keio University

The term “well-being” (happiness, health, and good state) has come to be used more frequently in Japan in recent years. I believe that the well-being trend is not just a short-term trend, but a major transformation comparable to the agricultural and industrial revolutions in human history. We have, therefore, discussed the necessity and possibility of s・・・

Takashi Maeno

Meeting the Leadership Challenge of this Century

Ravi Venkatesan,
Chairman of Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, Independent Director of Hitachi, Ltd

Leadership is a central issue of our time. Rarely in human history has the gap between our challenges and opportunities on one hand and leadership capacity on the other been greater. We face profound challenges such as climate change, but we also have many of the solutions and resources to address even the hardest problems. Yet the problems persist and grow.・・・

Ravi Venkatesan

Time travel in 2023

Hitoshi Shirai,
Former President of HRI

Future projections are indispensable both in national policy making and in corporate management. Forecasting is also one of the major roles of think tanks. On the other hand, unless a time machine is invented, it is impossible to perfectly predict what will happen in the future. Unfortunately, the time machine has not been developed even now in 2023, so let・・・

Hitoshi Shirai

We provide you with the latest information on HRI‘s periodicals, such as our journal and economic forecasts, as well as reports, interviews, columns, and other information based on our research activities.

Hitachi Research Institute welcomes questions, consultations, and inquiries related to articles published in the "Hitachi Souken" Journal through our contact form.