History of Innovative Entrepreneurs in Japan

Overview I: Edo Period.- Case 1: Konoike Zen'emon: Successive Innovations on the Nationwide Market.- Case 2: Takatoshi Mitsui: New Business Opportunities and the Retail Revolution.- Case 3: Genzaemon Nakai: Regional Merchant Thriving on the National Stage.- Discussion Point 1: Early Modern or Pre-modern?.- Overview 2: From Port Opening to the Post Russo-Japanese War Period.- Case 4: Hikojiro Nakamigawa: Zaibatsu Reform by Salaried Managers.- Case 5: Yataro Iwasaki and Yanosuke Iwasaki: Formation of Zaibatsu by Owner Managers.- Case 6: Zenjiro Yasuda and Soichiro Asano: Zaibatsu Formation through the Collaboration of Two Owner-Managers.- Case 7: Eiichi Shibusawa: Mobilization of Managerial Resources by an Investor-Manager.- Discussion Point 2: How Did Japan's Economy Manage to Take Off So Early? Conditions that Enabled the First Successful Industrialization Case among Late Developers.- Overview 3: World War I to the 1980s.- Case 8: Ichizo Kobayashi: A Leader in Urbanization Creates a New Industry.- Case 9: Yasuzaemon Matsunaga: Electrification Leader Establishes Private Sector-Led Public Utility Operations.- Case 10: Saburosuke Suzuki II : Commercialization of Exceptional Breakthrough Innovation.- Case 11: Kiichiro Toyoda: From Breakthrough to Incremental Innovations.- Case 12: Shitagau Noguchi and Yoshisuke Aikawa: Emergence of New Konzerns and Foray into the Continent.- Case 13: Sazo Idemitsu: From "Oil Merchant of the Continent" to "Hero of Native Oil Companies".- Case 14: Yataro Nishiyama: Leader of Capital Investment Drives High Economic Growth.- Case 15: Konosuke Matsushita: Initiator of “Consumer Revolution” Drives High Economic Growth.- Case 16: Masaru Ibuka, Akio Morita, Soichiro Honda, and Takeo Fujisawa: The Groundbreaking Nature of Sony and Honda Becoming Global Companies.- Case 17: Toshio Doko: The Sense of Crisis Harbored by the "Fine Physician of the Business World” and "Mr. Administrative Reform".- Discussion Point 3: How did Japan’s Economy Grow Continuously Over a Long Period of Time? Catch-Up and Domestic Demand.- Overview 4: Japan since the 1990s.- Case 18: Kazuo Inamori: Managerial Renewal by a Venture Manager.- Case 19: Toshifumi Suzuki: Convenience Store Innovations Originating in Japan Spread to the World.- Case 20: Tadashi Yanai and Masayoshi Son: Exceptional Challenges Undertaken by the Two Risk Takers.- Discussion Point 4: Why did Japan’s Economy Slow Down? ICT Revolution and “Disruptive Innovation”.