Japan's fourth industrial revolution: targeting the Internet, data and AI-IT information
Workshop in front of a big screen, showing each machine in this workshop operation of real-time data. Japan ohm Long Ling factories on the outskirts of Kyoto, by means of Internet technology, all production data are recorded is collected, found that the problem can be adjusted in terms of production management in a timely manner, produce the certified product can be traced back to what went wrong.
This is Japan a microcosm of the fourth industrial revolution.
Other than the enterprise conducts innovations, Japan also proposed new strategy for the future at Government level.
Last year, Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proposed a new economic growth target 2020 Japan gross domestic product up to 600 trillion yen. To support this goal, Japan Ministry of economy and industry with the fourth industrial revolution strategy, there are three core technologies of this strategy, namely, Internet of things, big data, and artificial intelligence.
Japan's fourth industrial revolution why late?
"The fourth industrial revolution the initial concept came from Germany industry 4.0 strategy and United States national strategy for advanced manufacturing, 2025, while China made in China + Internet strategy, Japan is studying these policies after the fourth industrial revolution. "Japan METI industrial technology policy international Chief Tian Zhongguo and United Kingdom governance in the 21st century business Herald said.
Since the late 90 's Japan after the bursting of the bubble economy, the country's economy fell into a lasting stagnation over the past 20 years have been described as Japan "lost 20 years."
Bubble burst for Japan social innovation has a big impact, in order to improve the economic and social vitality, Japan 1995 formulated Basic Law of science and technology and the science and technology basic plan.
Among them, the official since the implementation of the science and technology basic plan since 1996, has gone through four phases. And China's "Thirteen-Five" from the start this year, Japan fifth science and technology basic plan starting from 2016 until 2020. Unlike the earlier four phases, is the fifth issue of policy focus the future industrial and social change.
Relative to Germany and the United States as well as countries such as China, Japan the fourth industrial revolution came a bit late. Moreover, Japan's policies are proposed after considering these countries ' strategies.
In this regard, Tian Zhongguo and United Kingdom ruling acknowledged that Japan lags behind others in the creation of new concepts, and now all you want to do is keep up with new international developments, played Japan's edge in industry and services, and development to achieve differentiation.
In a 21st century business Herald interview, Japan manufacturing and service levels, whether Japan METI officials also are ordinary business people are full of confidence. They believe that as long as Japan for finding future directions in technology for social change, although late, but was able to rely on manufacturing and services more than others.
Of course, Japan the fourth industrial revolution still faces many challenges.
Japan METI industrial technology policy Director, said du Bian Zhengjia, Japan manufacturing good quality and low price, but under the economic globalization, Japan can no longer solely rely on this advantage, but the need for new innovation system, but many business concepts have not changed.
In Japan, big business is an important economic force. But over the years, Japan economic stagnation, also associated with big companies lack of vitality. Japan's big companies used to start from the basic research and development, but in a rapidly changing market environment, individual companies, even large enterprises are difficult to deal with.
As Japan market competition, business investment will focus on short-term results, if a technology product commercialization in 3-5 years, businesses will not invest, making innovations have great limitations.
In addition, research and development funding to universities and research institutions into the lower, less cooperation with universities and research institutions, and Japan in the field of basic research faces greater problems.
Even more crucial is that Japan's many research and development the main face of the domestic market, and the formation of international isolation, lack of communication, making Japan the development environment become the lock island. According to a study of economy, trade and industry, in the field of mobile development, either Apple or Android phone, candy bar has become a mainstream trend, and Japan are also developing fold cell phone, which is similar to the evolution of the separation, is Japan alone development typical of failures.
Therefore, after the fourth industrial revolution, Japan innovation faces many problems to be solved.
Avoid "island evolution"
Japan the fourth industrial revolution puts things, big data, and three core technology direction of artificial intelligence, but innovation system and restrict new technologies and institutional change.
Late start of Japan, in order to catch up with trends in a new round of technological change, but also in order to achieve the "Japan revival strategy" and proposed several reforms.
Get rid of the gap with universities and research institutions, Japan Government decided that the Ministry of education jointly with METI to promote university-industry joint dialogue mechanisms, mechanisms for collaboration between universities and enterprises to become the norm, while the Government plays the role of matchmaking. Economy, trade and industry industrial technology policy Director, said du Bian Zhengjia, before the end of this year, wanted by METI, the Ministry and Keidanren (Federation of economic organizations, Japan's largest economic group) to develop a guideline document.
To resolve Japan typical island evolution, breaking the closed and isolated development environment, Japan International innovation system proposed by the Government, making Japan into an international innovation one of the strongholds. Meanwhile, to attract overseas technological talents.
An important fourth industrial revolution technology of artificial intelligence, Japan already has considerable research and industrial base, the artificial intelligence research system continues to adjust and improve. To this end, Japan General province, Ministry, METI tripartite Conference on advancing artificial intelligence research and development strategy, accelerate development of artificial intelligence technologies and achievements.
Japan leading economic and innovation of large enterprises, Japan also proposed to strengthen the linkages between large enterprises and SMEs, United States Silicon Valley innovation model, hoping Japan's small and medium enterprises also become innovative force. To this end, the Japan Government to promote the integration of SMEs and large enterprises, SMEs generated a lot of innovative companies.
In Japan the Government prior to the fourth industrial revolution strategy, like that of Omron and other companies in the Internet of things, a data and artificial intelligence technological change has already started, the economy, trade and industry for the development of policy research in these companies. However, Japan's large enterprises and SMEs very little cooperation in innovation, cooperation between universities, research institutions and even rarely, only in their area of expertise toward the development of fine, from the other side proved Japan island evolution.
Du Bian Zhengjia said Japan's big companies are very good, but how do you build a model, in advantage for their own research and development, and cooperation with universities and research institutions in disadvantaged areas to make this shift will take time.
日本第四次产业革命：瞄准物联网、大数据和AI - IT资讯
车间大门口的一个大屏，显示着这个车间里每一台机器的运作状态实时数据。在日本京都郊外的欧姆龙绫部工厂，借助物联网技术，所有生产环节产生的数据都被收集记录下来，发现问题可以及时在生产管理上进行调整，产生的不合格产品也都可以追溯到哪一步出了错。
这就是日本第四次产业革命的一个缩影。
除了企业层面自发进行技术革新之外，日本政府层面也提出了面向未来的新战略。
去年，日本首相安倍晋三提出新的经济成长目标，2020年日本国内生产总值要达到600万亿日元。为支撑该目标，日本经济产业省提出第四次产业革命战略，这一战略的核心技术方向有三个，即物联网、大数据和人工智能。
日本第四次产业革命为何迟到？
“第四次产业革命初始概念来自于德国工业4.0战略和美国的先进制造业国家战略，同时还有中国的中国制造2025、互联网+等战略，日本是在研究这些政策之后提出的第四次产业革命。”日本经济产业省产业技术政策课国际室长田中国和英国治对21世纪经济报道记者表示。
自从上世纪九十年代日本经济泡沫破灭后，这个国家的经济就陷入了持久的停滞状态，而过去的二十年也被形容为日本“失去的二十年”。
经济泡沫破灭对日本社会的创新活力造成很大影响，为了提升经济社会活力，日本1995年就制定了科学技术基本法和科学技术基本计划。
其中，科学技术基本计划从1996年正式实施以来，已经经历了四期。与中国的“十三五”从今年开局一样，日本第五期科学技术基本计划也从2016年开始，持续到2020年。与前四期不同的是，第五期政策重点聚焦于未来的产业制造与社会变革。
相对于德国、美国以及中国等国，日本的第四次产业革命来有点晚。而且，日本的政策也是在参考了上述这些国家的战略之后才提出的。
对此，田中国和英国治承认，日本在新概念的创造方面落后于别人，现在要做的就是紧跟国际新的动态，发挥日本在产业和服务方面的优势，来实现差别化发展。
在接受21世纪经济报道采访时，对于日本制造业和服务业的水平，不论是日本经济产业省的官员还是普通企业人士都充满自信心。他们认为，只要日本找准未来技术社会变革的方向，虽然起步晚，但还是能够凭借制造与服务的优势超越别人。
当然，日本第四次产业革命仍面临诸多难题。
日本经济产业省产业技术政策课长渡边政嘉表示，日本制造虽然质好价廉，但在经济全球化之下，日本已经不能单靠这一优势，而是需要全新的创新体系，但很多企业的观念还没有转变过来。
在日本，大企业是一支重要的经济力量。但这些年来，日本经济停滞，也与大企业活力不足有关。日本的大企业习惯于自己从基础研发做起，但在瞬息万变的新市场环境下，单个企业，即使是大企业也难以应对。
由于日本市场竞争激烈，企业投资都重视短期见效，如果一个技术产品无法在三到五年内商业化，企业就不会投资，这使得企业的创新有较大的局限性。
此外，研发资金向大学和研究机构投入较低，企业与大学和研究机构合作较少，也使得日本在基础研究领域面临较大问题。
更为关键的是，日本的很多研发主要面对国内市场，与国际上形成隔离，缺乏正常沟通，使得日本的研发环境成为闭锁的孤岛。经济产业省的一项研究显示，在手机开发领域，无论是苹果还是安卓手机，直板已经成为最主流的趋势，而日本还在研发折叠手机，这就类似于进化论上的隔离区，是日本单独研发的典型失败案例。
因此，在提出第四次产业革命之后，日本急需解决创新方面面临的诸多问题。
避免“小岛进化”现象
日本第四次产业革命提出了物联网、大数据和人工智能三个核心技术方向，但是以往的创新体系及体制等都在制约着新的技术变革。
起步较晚的日本，为了追赶新一轮技术变革趋势，同时也为了实现“日本再兴战略”，提出了几大改革方向。
为破除企业与大学和研究机构的隔阂，日本政府决定由文部省与经产省联合推进产学官共同对话机制，让大学与企业合作成为一种常态的机制，而政府则在其中起到牵线搭桥的作用。经济产业省产业技术政策课长渡边政嘉表示，今年年底之前，要由经产省、文部省和经团联（经济团体联合会，日本最大的经济团体）共同制定一个指南性文件。
要解决日本典型的小岛进化现象，打破封闭隔绝的研发环境，日本政府提出要推进国际创新体制，使得日本成为国际创新据点之一。同时，还要吸引海外技术人才。
第四次产业革命一个重要的技术方向人工智能方面，日本已经有相当的研究和产业基础，但人工智能的研究体系仍要调整完善。为此，日本总务省、文部省、经产省三方将共同推进人工智能技术研究开发战略会议，加速人工智能技术开发，以及成果转化应用。
针对日本大企业主导经济及创新的状况，日本也提出要加强大企业与中小企业间的联系，学习美国硅谷的创新模式，希望日本的中小企业也成为创新的生力军。为此，日本政府要推动中小企业与大企业的结合，推动中小企业中产生大量创新型企业。
在日本政府的第四次产业革命战略之前，类似欧姆龙等企业在物联网、大数据和人工智能方面的技术变革就已经开始，经济产业省为制定政策还在这些企业进行过调研。然而，日本的一些大企业不仅与中小企业在创新方面合作甚少，甚至与大学、研究机构之间的合作也很少，只在自己擅长的一个领域往精细化发展，从另一个侧面证明了日本的小岛进化现象。
渡边政嘉表示，日本的大企业很多都很优秀，但是如何建立一种模式，在优势领域自己研发，而在弱势的领域与大学和研发机构合作，要做出这种转变还需要时间。