This open access book studies how foreign models of economic development can be effectively learned by and applied to today’s latecomer countries. Policy capacity and societal learning are increasingly stressed as pre-conditions for successful catch-up. However, how such learning should be initiated by individual societies with different features needs to be explained. The book answers this pragmatic question from the perspective of Japan’s past experience and its extensive development cooperation in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Since the late nineteenth century, Japan has developed a unique philosophy and method for adopting advanced technologies and systems from the West; the same philosophy and method govern its current cooperation with the developing world.
The key concepts are local learning and translative adaptation. Local learning says that development requires the learner to adopt a proactive mindset and the goal of graduating from receiving aid. Meanwhile, translative adaptation requires foreign models be modified to fit local realities given the different structures of the home and foreign society. The development process must be wholly owned by the domestic society in rejection of copy-and-paste acceptance. These ideas not only informed Japan but are key to successful development for all. The book also asks how this learning method should—or should not—be revised in the age of SDGs and digitalization. Following the overview section that lays out the general principles, the book offers many real cases from Japan and other countries. The concrete actions outlined in these cases, with close attention to individual growth “ingredients” as opposed to general theories, are crucial to successful policy making. The book contains materials that are highly useful for national leaders and practitioners within developing countries as well as students of development studies.
Izumi Ohno is a Professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Tokyo. She is also a Senior Research Advisor at the JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development and co-leads the Institute’s research project on “The Japanese Experiences of Industrial Development and Development Cooperation.” During 2018-2020, she served as Director of the JICA Ogata Research Institute. She specializes in international development policy, industrial development cooperation, business, and development. Prior to joining GRIPS in 2002, she worked at JICA, the World Bank, and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). Her publications include: Policy Learning for Industrial Development and Development Cooperation (JICA Ogata Research Institute, 2022, co-edited), and Eastern and Western Ideas for African Growth: Diversity and Complementarity in Development Aid (Routledge, 2013, co-edited). She holds a MPA from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs in the US.
Kimiaki Jin is the Chief Advisor / QPI (Kaizen) Policy Formulation / System Development of the Quality and Productivity Improvement (Kaizen) Project jointly implemented by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition in the Republic of South Africa and JICA. He is a member of the Examination Committee of Africa Kaizen Award, and leads several research projects focusing on QPI / Kaizen in Africa. He served as Chief Representative of JICA in Ethiopia (2013-2017) and the UK (2009-2013). He served for two more periods with JICA in Ethiopia (1990-1993 and 2003-2006). He was seconded to the Environment Agency of Japan (1998-2000). He is a co-editor of the book Applying the Kaizen in Africa: A New Avenue for Industrial Development (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018) and a contributing author of several books.
Kuniaki Amatsu is the Resident Representative of JICA United Kingdom Office, and Visiting Professor, Yamaguchi University. He has roughly thirty years of experience working at JICA. Based on his experience as an aid practitioner, he has been engaged in development cooperation, particularly in the areas of intellectual assistance for legal and judicial support and economic transition in Vietnam, private sector development, governance, as well as global debates on economic growth vs. poverty reduction and aid effectiveness agendas. His publications include: “Differences in the Vision of State Leaders and Their Role in the Outcome of Industrialization: A Comparison of Meiji Japan and Post-Colonial Africa” (Industrial Policy, 1 (1), 2021). He holds a MA in international economics from the School of International Politics, Economics and Business, Aoyama Gakuin University, and a MA in Public Financial Management from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, in the UK.
Junichi Mori is the Chief Technical Advisor for the Skills for Prosperity Programme in Malaysia, International Labour Organization (ILO). Prior to taking this position, he worked for the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and JICA. He obtained a MA from the Fletcher School, Tufts University in the US and a PhD in social sciences from Cardiff University in the UK. His research and professional work focus on skill development and industrialization in developing countries, particularly in the Southeast Asian region. His publications include: "Revisiting employer perceptions of skill mismatch: The case of the machine manufacturing industry in Vietnam" (Journal of Education and Work 34 (2), 2021). He received the merit medal from the Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam (2013) for his contribution as a JICA expert in Hanoi University of Industry.
