What We Do
The Japan Forum for Innovation and Technology (JFIT) UC San Diego is a research center for studies of Japan and its role in Asia and the world, as well as educational programs and information and networking opportunities to global scholars, businesses and policymakers. We investigate, analyze, interpret and inform on current events in the areas of Japan's business, politics, international political economy, culture, society, innovation, technology and the health sciences from a global policy and strategy perspective.
Through our multi-disciplinary and multi-faceted research projects, we bring together people with an interest in contemporary Japan, and Japan's role in world commerce, politics and societal issues. Our comparative angle to the study of Japan also informs a more general discourse on topics such as systems of capitalism, international business norms, social policies, geopolitics and innovation processes.
Through our regular online seminar series, the "Japan Zoominar," as well as our conferences and mid-career education programs, and networking opportunities we strive to create a learning community and promote an exchange of ideas and collaboration. JFIT's biweekly news mailer, the San Diego-Japan Newsflash, features news updates on Japan and San Diego/Southern California to further build connections across the Pacific.
JAPAN ZOOMINAR @ UC San Diego
JFIT hosts a "Japan Zoominar" that invites Japan experts – professors from leading global universities, business executives, journalists, think tank scholars and other domain specialists – to discuss current research and "hot topics" in Japan.
Our goal is to bring deeper analysis and alternative views, beyond the normal media fair, to those interested in Japan's business, politics, economics, society and its changing role in Asia. The Japan Zoominar topics range from business and economics, to politics, societal matters and diverse topics such as Japanese art, white-collar crime, religion, innovation, entrepreneurship, the digital transformation, healthcare and even Hello Kitty.
Research Programs
JFIT invites researchers on Japanese business, economics, politics, society and related fields to join our various research activities. Currently, a large portion of our activities concern Japan's business and innovation, health sciences, and Japan in the digital transformation. Ulrike Schaede's 2000 book Japan's Business Reinvention: How to Make Sense of the New Japan and Why it Matters won the 2021 Masayoshi Ohira Award.
Educational Programs
JFIT runs various programs that teach global business, international management and doing business in Japan. These range from long-term visiting scholarships (ASP) to short-term, flexible immersion programs that offer participants the opportunity to engage in their focused area of research. Whether in residence in La Jolla or virtual, the programs offer a gateway for participants to connect to and create a network in San Diego’s innovation ecosystem.
Our short-term, customized programs support corporate professional talent development. These include career enhancement programs for women managers (JUMP), global managers (AIM), and mid-career "study abroad" professionals (Global Talent Program). JFIT also offers tailored corporate and educational programs in entrepreneurship and innovation, including for university study groups, business professionals and corporate global management development.
Connections
JFIT provides access to the innovation ecosystems of San Diego and Japan, for scientists, scholars, entrepreneurs, innovators and investors around the globe.
Through our 3i Program, we introduce participating corporate partners to the San Diego research and business communities, including faculty at UC San Diego and our affiliates in companies and innovation ecosystem players in Southern California and Japan. We open the door to networking opportunities, including at conferences and startup pitch events.
We also foster close networks with senior Pacific leaders through our Peter F. Cowhey Center on Global Transformation and connections through the Center for Commerce and Diplomacy.
About GPS
The UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS) addresses the crucial societal challenges of the 21st century. The School’s pioneering research builds on internationally recognized expertise of the Americas and Asia, integrates analysis of public policy and markets, and explores global issues of conflict and cooperation.
Leveraging our West Coast location and UC San Diego's renowned programs in science and technology, GPS develops new analytic tools with real-world applications, while rigorously training the next generation of global leaders. Through collaborations across campus and counterparts around the globe, GPS shapes cutting-edge solutions for a transforming world.