Table Of ContentTHE ADVANCED MATERIALS REVOLUTION
AND THE JAPANESE SYSTEM OF INNOVATION
The Advanced
Materials Revolution
and the Japanese
System of Innovation
Helena M. M. Lastres
Senior Lecturer, National Council of Scientific
and Technological Development, Brazil
Foreword by
Christopher Freeman
Science Policy Research Unit,
University of Sussex at Brighton, UK
M
St. Martin's Press
©Helena M. M. Lastres 1994
Foreword © Christopher Freeman 1994
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1994 978-0-333-60730-5
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First published in Great Britain 1994 by
THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS
and London
Companies and representatives
throughout the world
A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-349-23523-0 ISBN 978-1-349-23521-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-23521-6
First published in the United States of America 1994 by
Scholarly and Reference Division,
ST. MARTIN'S PRESS, INC.,
175 Fifth A venue,
New York, N.Y. 10010
ISBN 978-0-312-12055-9
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lastres, Helena Maria Martins.
The advanced materials revolution and the Japanese system of
innovation I Helena M. M. Lastres ; foreword by Christopher Freeman.
p. em.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-312-12055-9
I. Materials-Research-Japan. 2. Materials-Japan-Technological
innovations. 3. High technology-Japan. I. Title.
TA404.2.L37 1994
620.1 'I '072052--dc20 94-16019
CIP
Contents
List of Figures IX
List of Tables xi
List of Abbreviations XII
Acknowledgements XIV
Foreword by Christopher Freeman xvii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Importance, Pervasiveness and Clustering of Materials 1
1.2 The Study 5
1.3 Methodology 6
1.4 The Structure of the Book 8
2 The Innovation Process and National Systems of
Innovation 11
2.1 Introduction 11
2.2 The Evolutionary Approach to Technical Change 12
2.3 The Innovation Process 14
2.4 National Systems of Innovation (NSI) 22
2.5 The New Techno-economic Paradigm and Related
Technological and Institutional Changes 24
3 Changes in Materials Evolution 31
3.1 Introduction 31
3.2 Changes in Patterns of Materials Usage 31
3.3 Proliferation of Materials Displaying Specialised
Functions 37
3.4 Acceleration in the Properties of Specialised Materials 44
3.5 Terms Used to Identify Advanced Materials and
Problems in Defining these Materials 49
3.6 Attempts to Define and Classify Advanced Materials 51
3.7 Conclusion 56
4 Advanced Materials Revolution 58
4.1 Introduction 58
v
vi Contents
4.2 Changes in the Supply Side of Materials 59
4.3 Changes in the Demand Side of Materials 63
4.4 Changes in Organisational Structures 70
4.5 Conclusion: Towards a Framework to
Understanding Advanced Materials 71
s
The Japanese System of Innovation (JSI) 81
5.1 The Japanese System of Innovation at the Level of
the Firm 82
5.2 The Japanese System of Innovation at the
Meso Level 85
5.3 The Japanese System of Innovation at the
Macro Level 87
5.4 Limits and Constraints of the Japanese System
of Innovation 91
6 Japanese R&D Policies and Strategies for
Advanced Materials and Superconductors 95
6.1 Introduction 95
6.2 Japanese Advanced Materials Policy 96
6.3 Japanese Strategy for Low-temperature
Superconductors 103
6.4 The Discovery of High-temperature
Superconductivity and the Japanese Response 104
6.5 Japanese Strategy for High-temperature
Superconductors 107
6.6 Conclusion 110
7 Japanese Companies' Activities and Strategies
in Advanced Materials 114
7.1 Introduction 114
7.2 Time Involvement in Advanced Materials and
Reasons for Entering the Field 114
7.3 Market Strategies for Advanced Materials 116
7.4 Research Strategies 119
7.5 Sources of and Factors Influencing International
Competition in Advanced Materials 120
7.6 Sources of Technological Capabilities 120
Contents vii
7.7 Advantages and Disadvantages of Participating in
Government R&D Programmes 126
7.8 Conclusion 127
8 Japanese Companies' Activities and Strategies
in Superconductivity 130
8.1 Introduction 130
8.2 Involvement in Superconductor R&D 131
8.3 Factors Affecting Companies' Decision to Undertake
Superconductor R&D 132
8.4 Importance of R&D in Superconductors 135
8.5 Emphasis of the Research into Superconductors 139
8.6 The Future of Superconductors 143
8.7 Role of Government Policies for Superconductors 147
8.8 Importance of External Sources of Technology in
Firms' Strategies for Superconductors 149
8.9 Japanese University-Industry Links 151
8.10 Conclusion 155
9 Istec: MITI's International Collaborative Programme
for Superconductivity Basic Research 160
9.1 Introduction 160
9.2 The Design of a Basic Research Cooperation
Programme in Superconductivity 160
9.3 Organisation and Aims of Istec and of the
Superconductivity Research Laboratory (SRL) 161
9.4 Members of Istec 163
9.5 Motives for Firms' Participation in Istec 164
9.6 Istec Openness to Foreign Participation 166
9.7 Superconductivity Research Laboratory Personnel and
Financial Structures 167
9.8 Advantages and Disadvantages of Istec 170
9.9 Future of Istec 174
9.10 Conclusion: Istec as a Response to the New
Challenges in Frontier Scientific Development 176
10 Conclusion 180
10.1 Advanced Materials Revolution 180
10.2 Relevance of National Systems of Innovation 183
10.3 Final Considerations 190
viii Contents
Appendix: General Information About the Companies
Interviewed 192
Notes 193
Bibliography 218
Index 237
List of Figures
1.1 Sectoral consumption of steel, 1973 4
1.2 Sectoral consumption of plastics, 1977 5
3.1 Declining trend in world consumption of major metals 32
3.2 Weighted index of metal and mineral prices 33
3.3 Declining trend in the intensity of use of major metals
in market economies 34
3.4 World consumption of engineering plastics 35
3.5 Advanced ceramics production in Japan 36
3.6 World market for advanced materials, 1989 36
3.7 Trend in the US demand for copper and optical
fibre telecommunications cable, 1979-86 37
3.8 Progress in materials strength-to-density ratio as a function
of time 44
3.9 Evolution of transition temperature of the best
superconducting material since the discovery of the
phenomenon 45
3.10 Historical improvement in glass transparency 46
3.11 Increase in operating temperatures of engines made
possible by modern materials 47
3.12 Progress in the flux-magnetisation product of magnetic
materials 48
3.13 Exponential growth of the number of components
per integrated circuit and exponential decrease of minimum
feature dimension 49
4.1 Variable growth rates among US manufacturing
industries, 1973-87 64
4.2 World market for advanced materials by industry, 1986 66
4.3 Examples of numerical integration of parts in
aeronautics 67
6.1 Typical examples of materials manufacturers, users and
process equipment manufacturers participating in the
advanced ceramics industry in Japan 100
7.1 Markets for advanced materials according to companies
interviewed 116
7.2 Main markets for the AMs produced by the companies
interviewed, 1991 117
IX
X List of Figures
7.3 Importance of the domestic and foreign markets for the
AMs produced by companies interviewed, 1991 118
7.4 Extent of companies' technical interaction with different
partners in advanced materials 124
8.1 Importance of R&D in superconductors - expenditure by
institutions in 1991 135
8.2 Importance of R&D in superconductors - number of
researchers by institutions in 1991 136
8.3 Time horizon of R&D programmes in superconductors
by institutions 137
8.4 Patents granted and applied for in superconductors, 1991 138
8.5 Main areas of research into superconductors, 1991 140
8.6 Objectives of R&D programmes in superconductors, 1991 141
8.7 Most important types of material in the research programmes
in superconductors, 1991 142
8.8 Future of superconductors - most promising materials 144
8.9 Future of superconductors - most promising markets 145
8.10 Future of superconductors - most promising innovators
in the 1990s 146
8.11 Future of superconductors-world leadership in 1991 and
in 2000 147
8.12 What should a national policy for superconductors
comprise? 148
9.1 Supporting members of Istec by sector 164
9.2 Reasons for Istec openness to foreign participation 167
9.3 Superconductivity research laboratory personnel structure 168
9.4 Superconductivity research laboratory budget, 1988-97 169
9.5 Companies' main advantages of participating in Istec 171
9.6 Main problems of Istec 173
