S1E5: How Japan lost reputation as needle-shifting tech innovators: Letter From The Bureau Ep 5

Letter From The Bureau Ep 5: How Japan lost reputation as needle-shifting tech innovators  20:19 mins Synopsis: The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe every month. They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises. In this episode, she chats with ST's Japan correspondent Walter Sim about the following: Cultural resistance to change remains in Japan; how even vaccination passports are still paper-based (4:17) How the 'Galapagos Island' syndrome has cost Japan (6:15) Japan's strongest sectors and future prospects? (7:53) How China has overtaken Japan in online payments and how it took made-in-Japan QR Code technology to a higher level (9:20) Banking on oddball creativity for a cool Japan image, or even kawaii (cute) cultural product exports to improve its global 'soft' power (15:15) Produced by: Bhagyashree Garekar ([email protected]), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim & Fa’izah Sani Edited by: Hadyu Rahim & Dan Koh Subscribe to our Asian Insider Podcast channel to follow our various shows each week and rate us on your favourite audio apps: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/Ju4h  Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: [email protected] Read Walter Sim’s stories: https://str.sg/ws6J Follow Walter Sim on Twitter: https://twitter.com/waltersimmx Read more of ST's Letters From The Bureau: https://www.straitstimes.com/tags/letter-from-the-bureau Asian Insider newsletter: https://www.straitstimes.com/tags/asian-insider Asian Insider videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnK3VE4BKduMSOntUoS6ALNp21jMmgfBX --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider Podcast: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaN ST Sports Talk Podcast: https://str.sg/JWRE Life Weekend Picks Podcast: https://str.sg/JWa2 #PopVultures Podcast: https://str.sg/JWad Bookmark This! Podcast: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko Podcast: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #STAsianInsider  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.