Drawing on Masayuki Takayama’s column Hengen Jizai, this essay explores how Japan transformed global technology by pursuing independent innovation.
From quartz watches to compact diesel engines, it reveals why Japan succeeded where the world gave up.

October 1, 2016
I have repeatedly stated that Masayuki Takayama is a one-of-a-kind journalist in the postwar world.
The following is from his serialized column “Hengen Jizai” in this week’s issue of Shukan Shincho.
Renhō-style newspapers.
For example, if we look at the history of steelmaking, Sweden first sold good-quality steel, but Britain began selling even purer steel by using coke.
Stimulated by this, European and American countries researched new furnaces, and open-hearth furnaces, electric furnaces, and hot-blast Bessemer converters appeared one after another.
Competition is the mother of invention.
In that respect, Japan was surrounded by China and Korea.
With no good stimulus at all, Japan was ultimately destined to go its own way.
Thus, even when Karakuri Giemon appeared—comparable to today’s walking robots—there was no notion of how to weaponize such technology.
Japan had been peaceful since ancient times.
Even so, when goals are set within international society, Japan is strong.
Pierre Curie discovered that when electricity is applied to quartz, it vibrates with precision.
Using this, accurate clocks can be made.
Watchmakers around the world aimed for quartz watches, but the apparatus never became smaller than a chest of drawers.
There is no such thing as carrying a chest of drawers and calling it an “accurate wristwatch.”
When the world gave up, Japan’s Seikosha finally managed to fit the chest of drawers inside a wristwatch.
Seikosha released the patent freely to the world.
This was different from the stingy Bill Gates.
In miniaturizing diesel engines many times larger than a chest of drawers, Yanmar’s Magokichi Yamaoka succeeded.
Today, cars around the world benefit from this, but Volkswagen adds its own character by attaching applications to evade emissions regulations in addition to the Yamaoka-style engine.
Even Japan, strong when there is a goal, had trouble with ideas that went beyond existing frameworks.
Those around it, especially government offices, could not understand its greatness.
To be continued.