Japan Inc shoots itself in foot on bullet train

[WatcherZero]

You do wonder why when this happens so often in many different industries companies still to this day do it expecting to find a different outcome.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/60da2222-8ab5-11df-8e17-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss

Besides Hitachi and Mitsubishi in this case, Transrapid have had their technology stolen after building their airport line, and it happens in automobile, aerospace and computer industries too among others.

 

[Wyvern]

You have to register with the FT to read this but the crux is that China's Sifang Technology Development Centre signed a Y140bn ($1.6bn) deal with a Japanese company to produce Shinkasen-like trains for China's raillway and now claims it has “digested” all the technology required for their manufacture.

Besides building the high-speed trains for China, it can consequently compete for business worldwide.

 

[j0hn0]

well that's Chinas business plan though isn't it?

Copy all the worlds technological ideas and then reproduce them at less than half the cost.

I think this because I saw this first hand when my Dad's business were looking into buying from China. What happened was that their engineers came over and took lots of photos of the machines, bought one, and never heard from them for 2 years until they offered him back exactly the same machine for half the price, but also notably, half the quality.

Similar with the supposed building of a high speed line to India. China will build the whole thing in exchange for natural resources from the countries it passes through.

Economic world war continues apace

 

[Wyvern]

well that's Chinas business plan though isn't it?

Copy all the worlds technological ideas and then reproduce them at less than half the cost.

Thing is, before the war, Japan was known for doing exactly the same thing.

 

[upnorth71]

Thing is, before the war, Japan was known for doing exactly the same thing.

Possibly, but they didn't later market it with claims of 100% domestic developed technology, nor were the markets as global as they are now (rolling stock was overwhelmingly for the domestic market). The fact is, even in today's information age, in China there is a totally different attitude with regards to intellectual/technology property rights. Foreign companies gauge the cost/benefits of giving their technology to Chinese firms everyday. In today's recessionary economic climate and pressure on the bottom line, often the lure of huge initial sales outweighs future losses to Chinese market penetration using such "acquired" technology.

 

[Wyvern]

I have to say I dont remember the 1930's all that clearly but my impression was the Japanese were doing exactly the same thing.

 

[upnorth71]

I have to say I dont remember the 1930's all that clearly but my impression was the Japanese were doing exactly the same thing.

Doesn't make this modern day reality any less serious. Alot of bad things were happening back then. For perspective, also, in the 1930's, segregation and lynching was the norm in the southern U.S., as was the precusors of apartheid in South Africa, colonialism was alive and well (with Japan also copying the West here), and lets not even mention the rise of facism. Lack of respect for copyrights etc. is pretty minor stuff compared to those biggies. It must be said, the USA didn't have much respect for copyrights until the 20th century- apparently the publishing industry in America got its start by selling unauthorized copies of British publications in the 19th century.