The Technopolis in Japan

Abstract

The Technopolis Plan was initiated in Japan in the 1980s as a means of stimulating regional economies through cooperation between local industries and universities. In this article, the author analyses the objectives of the Plan and assesses the extent to which they have been achieved. His analysis shows that the anticipated degree of progress in establishing plants and laboratories of high-tech industries in Technopolis regions and in promoting technology transfer has not been made. He argues that the development of the Plan is now at a critical stage, and that the means which have been employed to advance its implementation need modification. He also suggests that innovative measures should be developed to establish a new relationship between universities and local enterprises — it is not enough simply to build new facilities, and this has been the emphasis of policies to date.