Reimagining Japan: The Quest for a Future That Works

Earthquake, tsunami, and the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl: the
triple disasters of March 2011 hit Japan when it was already feeling
vulnerable, its confidence shaken by debt, deflation, and political
inertia. Yet those terrible days also revealed Japan’s strengths, most
notably the sense of community that created order and dignity amid the
chaos. In the short term, no one doubts Japan’s capacity to rebuild, but
the country still faces daunting long-term challenges. Its population is
aging and its workforce shrinking. In trade and diplomacy, it faces new
pressures from a rising China. Many leading Japanese companies have lost
global market share over the past two decades and struggled to become truly
global competitors. Japan still excels at manufacturing, but it has been
slow to develop its service sector. Meanwhile, the country’s education
system continues to emphasize rote learning and cramming at the expense of
innovation and creative thinking.

For Reimagining Japan: The Quest for a Future That Works, McKinsey invited
80 men and women from around the world to contemplate the challenges and
opportunities facing the country as it recovers from the triple disasters.
Contributors include CEOs, economists, Japan scholars, foreign-policy
experts, authors, and journalists, as well as stars from sports and
culture. This unique and distinguished collection of authors shares
perspectives on Japan in essays that are insightful, thought provoking—and
sometimes contradictory.

Notable contributors include Bernard Arnault, Ian Buruma, Gerald Curtis,
John Chambers, Steven Covey, John Dower, Bill Emmott, Victor Fung, Carlos
Ghosn, Pico Iyer, Bob McDonald, Stephen Roach, Masahiro Sakane, Masayoshi
Son, Howard Schultz, Klaus Schwab, Bobby Valentine, Steve Van Andel, Ezra
Vogel, Robert Whiting, Tadashi Yanai and more than 50 others.