Morinosuke Kawaguchi

Morinosuke Kawaguchi
Morinosuke Kawaguchi in Akihabara in 2008
Born	May 1, 1961
Nationality	Japanese
Known for	MOT, Product Design, Product Engineering, Otaku

Morinosuke Kawaguchi (川口盛之助, b. May 1, 1961 in Ashiya, Japan) is a Japanese technology consultant currently working for Arthur D. Little Japan. Also a lecturer in the postgraduate program at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, his approach to Japanese subculture and how it comprises a competitive advantage in R&D has made him popular in Japan.

Kawaguchi is renowned as a strategy expert in Management of Technology (MOT), intellectual property management and also technology & innovation management (TIM) in various industries such as telecommunications, electronics and the automotive industry. In Japan, he is considered the inventor of the concept in product engineering and technology development of drawing from Japanese culture, especially the concepts of monozukuri and otaku subcultures.

He is a bilingual lecturer on this topic and has appeared on several Japanese radio and Television shows. Kawaguchi writes regularly on Japanese technology development, creating a bridge between the hard-boiled industry and creative subculture. Since 2007, he has an ongoing biweekly column for the Nikkei BP online^[1] and another for TechOn online. Also, from February 2009 until January 2010, he wrote a series of articles on anime-like engineering and technology for DIME,^[2] a magazine comparable to Wired in the US.

Kawaguchi became well known after his book Otaku de onnanoko na kuni no monozukuri (Neon Genesis of Geeky-Girly Japanese Engineering) was published in 2007 by Kodansha, earning the prestigious Nikkei BP BizTech Book Award in 2008.^[3] The central message of the book is how to leverage Japanese subculture for top-tier product development and innovation.

This book was reviewed by all the five major Japanese newspapers, a rare honor for a business book there. Famed fashion designer Hanae Mori had a lot of praise for Kawaguchi's book, reviewing it for the Sankei Shimbun newspaper. On the cover of the book, Taro Aso, the 59th Prime Minister of Japan, gives a blurb, describing the book as one "filled with wisdom and hints on how to leverage Japanese subculture’s potential." Korea and Taiwan published translated versions of the title at the end of 2009.

Morinosuke Kawaguchi published his second book Sekai ga zessan suru « Made by Japan » (The World Acclaimed « Made by Japan ») in December 2010, again describing a unique concept in technology and design. The central question of the book is how machines and products can make our lives happier and what the future of all machines will look like.

References

1. ^ http://business.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/tech/20070122/117428/
2. ^ http://www.zassi.net/mag_issue_list.php?id=33
3. ^ http://www.nikkeibp.com/html/main/company_081101032139_3_1.html

External links

• Official Website of Morinosuke Kawaguchi (川口盛之助)

Interviews and articles on Morinosuke Kawaguchi:

• www.tokyoweekender.com/2011/06/igeek-an-interview-with-technologist-morinosuke-kawaguchi/]

Tech and Engineering columns by Morinosuke Kawaguchi (Japanese only):

• “Morinosuke Kawaguchi’s Theory of Japanese Engineering " for Nikkei BP online
• “Morinosuke Kawaguchi’s Ideas on the Strategic Management of Technology" for TECHON online
• “Morinosuke Kawaguchi's Theory of Anime-Inspired Design and Engineering” for DIME magazine
• "Japanese Subculture Inspires Innovations": The Korean Times about Kawaguchi's book

Lectures:

• What can technology do for the future car?
• Future artifacts: Hints are at Akibahara and Harajuku
• The Neon Genesis of Design Inspired by POP Culture
• J-POP: The Global Traction Force of Future Product Design
• Leveraging Cool Japan’s Technology Power

YouTube:

• Morinosuke Kawaguchi lectures on youTube (English)
• Kawaguchi talking about his latest book (English)

Persondata
Name	Kawaguchi, Morinosuke
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Date of birth	May 1, 1961
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