From Technopolis to Technocluster : Recent Trend of Regional Development Strategy

Recently, topics of Japanese economy concentrate to its fiscal and monetary problems which have been responsible to the continuing economic recession of this country. However, just started ongoing projects, the Intellectual Cluster Project of MESSC and the Industrial Cluster Project of METI, might play an essential role in recovery and development of the economy. “Cluster” is already known as a key concept of Michael E. Porter’s famous book. It provided with a useful framework to analyze the competitiveness of national and regional economy, “The Diamond Model” : mutual interaction of factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries, and firm strategy, structure, and rivalry. The concept has turned to a prevailing policy to enhance regional and national economy since mid 1990s in Europe and in the United States. According to the core concept of this policy, each component of the cluster model should be strengthened by networking of regionally or nationally established public and private institutions. Now, high technology based cluster is one of the most important targets of regional policy of many developed country. Thus, it is the “Technocluster Strategy”. Many success and failure experiences of the policy are already discussed in some international conferences. On the other hand, the complex of university and high technology firms, known as science park, became popular since 1950s when the Stanford Science Park started. In Japan, MITI (now METI) proposed the technopolis strategy. This Japanese version of science park was introduced by Sheridan Tatsuno with his book, “The Technopolis Strategy” to the world, and became famous. Though not always very successful in Japan, the technopolis has become a common noun which indicates many kinds of high technology complex. Nowadays, we are observing a transition of policy : from technopolis to technocluster, or concentrated location of high-tech institutions to building up mutual interaction among many kind of institutions. This paper deals with the this transition, or a pradigm shift, of high technology based regional policy. Japanese version of the technocluster policy, the Intellectual Cluster Project of MESSC and the Industrial Cluster Project of METI are critically discussed. In short, the former’s deficit is absence of necessary business know-how, and the latter’s problem is insufficient funding policy. Because of their importance of Japanese economy in the near future, the concerned people must improve their policy by referring the overseas experience in 1990s.departmental bulletin pape