Driverless cars, robot volunteers and ultra high-definition TV: Japan Inc. hopes to use the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to show the world it has regained its touch for innovation and technology.
The last time Japan hosted the summer games — Tokyo 1964 — it wowed visitors with its shinkansen, the sleek high-speed bullet train that has since become a byword for cool and efficient transport.
The country used the games as a springboard to dominate the tech world. From Sharp’s LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screens to the Sony Walkman, Japan enjoyed an unparalleled reputation in the vanguard of technological innovation.
But the 21st century has seen Silicon Valley giants and rivals from China and South Korea catch up and overtake some of the great names in Japanese tech.
“One of the big problems is that we think we’re still innovative. But when you look at the rest of the world, we’re not the most innovative,” said Yoko Ishikura, an expert in competitiveness at Hitotsubashi University.
“It is worrying to see that many Japanese have very little idea what is going on elsewhere,” Ishikura told AFP.
Visitors to Japan are often amazed to see how low-grade a lot of tech can be. Archaic devices like flip-phones and fax machines are still in common use.
But authorities and firms are gearing up to change all that.
“Our vision for the 2020 Games includes an aspiration to make them the most innovative in history,” says Masa Takaya, spokesman for Tokyo 2020.
