Japan’s Self-Doubt: Are We Past the Prime?

choi

大井真理子, 记者来鸿：重新启动—日本创造死了？ BBC Chinese, Mar 11, 2015
www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/fooc/2015/03/150311_fooc_japan

, which is translated from

Mariko Oi, Rebooting Innovation in Japan. BBC Chinese, Mar 2, 2015
www.bbc.com/news/business-31689268

Note:
(a) "Inside a typical office building in the Akihabara district is a high-tech factory that is created for use by anyone with innovative ideas. It is a makerspace with equipment worth 1bn yen ($8.5m; £5.5m). * * * DMM.make Akiba occupies three floors of the building with total space of 2,000 sq m (21,500 sq ft). It is open 24/7 to members who pay a monthly fee of 30,000 yen."
(i) BBC translation: 秋叶原区一家典型的办公楼内，这是一家专供有创新构思人使用的高科技工厂。这个 '创客空间' 内配有价值高达10亿日元（850万美元）的设备。* * * DMM.make Akiba创客空间占用大楼的三层，总面积为2000平米，每周七天昼夜向会员开放，每月会费三万日元。
(ii) In the Web I can only find a single English-language definition for "makerspace."

makerspace (n): "[new word suggestion, submitted by 'DavedWachsman3'] a shared workspace"
www.collinsdictionary.com/submission/7277/Makerspace
(iii) A few more [definitions] are for "hackerspace."
(A) hackerspace (n): "A place in which people with an interest in computing or technology can gather to work on projects while sharing ideas, equipment, and knowledge"
www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/de ... english/hackerspace
(B) hackerspace
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackerspace
(also referred to as a hacklab, makerspace or hackspace)

(b) "'I don't know how any of the machines work and we are losing money for now,' laughs Keishi KAMEYAMA  亀山 敬司, chairman of internet company DMM.com, which is behind the investment.

DMM
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DMM
(may refer to "DMM Corporation ('Digital Media Mart'), Hokuto Corporation's 株式会社 北都 online video store [an online retailer and renter (the latter like Netflix), that is]")

(c) "My favourite [Japanese innovation] has always been the Toto electric toilet seat with water spray feature, which I was surprised to find even at a temporary shelter in Kesennuma in Miyagi, not long after the region was struck by the huge earthquake and tsunami in 2011."
(i) Toto Ltd   TOTO株式会社
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toto_Ltd.
(founded in 1917; based in Kitakyushu 北九州市; world's largest toilet manufacturer; The name "Toto" is an abbreviation of the two Japanese words forming its full name, Tōyō Tōki (東洋陶器 Oriental Ceramics); The company invented and patented the Washlet)
(ii) Kesennuma, Miyagi 宮城県 気仙沼市
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kesennuma,_Miyagi

(d) "Takuma IWASA 岩佐 琢磨, founder of start-up consumer electronics firm Cerevo"
(i) Japanese English dictiobary
* takuma 琢磨 【たくま】 (n,v): "polish (jewels)" (These are Chinese pronunciations (taku and ma) for both kanji, as well as 'sa' for 佐.)
* sessa takuma 切磋琢磨 【せっさたくま】 (n,v): "cultivate one's character by studying hard; diligent application
     <君の実力なら楽勝だとは思うが、それに驕らず、まずはクラスのみんなと切磋琢磨していって欲しい。 With your ability it should be a doddle, but please don't be prideful of that but first apply yourself dilligently [sic] with everyone in your class>"
Jim Breen's online Japanese dictionary
(ii) About Us. Cerevo, undated
www.cerevo.com/en/company.html
("With a branch located in Redmond, WA, Cerevo inc. (Consumer Electronic REVOlution) is a company based in Akihabara Tokyo JAPAN, that focuses on creating network consumer devices. Through the use of consumer electronics and the power of the Internet, we aim at improving your daily life")

(e) "'Sony came up with Walkman when the company was much smaller. Exactly the same with Toto and its high-tech toilets. I don't think it's only in Japan but the bigger the companies get, the harder it becomes to take a risk,' says Mr Iwasa, who used to work for Panasonic. 'Big companies, Japanese or not, are good at what I call serial innovation - making a better version of the current product - because that will sell. But they are not good at creating something that never existed in the market.'"