Wednesday, December 9, 2009

15:00-17:00

JFIC Space “KEYAKI” at the Japan Foundation Head Office.
(4-4-1 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo)

English (no interpretation)

If you would like to attend the seminar, please notify Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange Dept. by December 8, 2009 with your name, affiliation, and contact information (tel., fax or e-mail).
If you would apply by e-mail, please be aware to write the name of the presenter and the date of the seminar in the title. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

[Contact Address]
Tel: 03-5369-6070/ Fax: 03-5369-6041

Ms. Tan Swee Ean
She is currently a Japan Foundation Japanese Studies Fellow 2009-10 and a teaching assistant at Geography Department, University Science of Malaysia (USM), Penang, Malaysia.

“Agglomeration of R&D Functions and Regional Policy in Asia
– A Case Study of Japanese Leading Electronic and Electric (E&E) Manufacturing Companies"

This study is based on the Toyokeizai Data Bank 2008 to analyze the recent dominant changes of agglomeration R&D functions and the application of R&D regional policy for the Japanese top 10 leading E&E manufacturing companies in Asia region. R&D activities are essential not only for supporting the manufacturing operation and domestic market in the host country, but also for new technological and scientific knowledge creation and product innovation to sustain a firm’s global competitiveness in long term. However with various corporate R&D strategies, the unique agglomeration of R&D functions has been formed in Asia region. The trend of overseas R&D started with development and design functions in New Industrial Economies (NIEs) like Korea and Hong Kong in Asia in the 1970s. With similar R&D functions remaining at NIEs in Asia, it grew rapidly in the 1980s. During the 1990s, with multi regional policy implemented in the industrial regions of China, the overseas R&D functions geographically clustered at the mega regions in Beijing and Nanjing. In the millennium, high R&D expenditure with the possession of numerous qualified researchers has created R&D attraction forces in China. Hence agglomeration of R&D function spread rapidly in the mega regions of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in China. With the advantage of geographical proximity, Vietnam is newly emerged as a strategic R&D location for Japanese E&E Manufacturing Companies. Meanwhile in the Southeast Asia Region, Malaysia is one of the significant agglomerated R&D locations among the ASEAN countries for the giant leading E&E Manufacturing Company Matsushita Electric Industrial Corporation and also Sharp Corporation.