Podcast Summary

Podcast: New Books Network
Episode: Pierre-Yves Donzé & Maki Umemura, "Japan and the Great Divergence in Business History" (JESB, 2025)
Date: November 13, 2025
Host: Paula de la Cruz Fernandez
Guests: Pierre-Yves Donzé (Osaka University), Maki Umemura (Cardiff University)

Episode Overview

This episode features a conversation with Pierre-Yves Donzé and Maki Umemura, guest editors of a special issue on Japanese business history in the Journal of Evolutionary Studies in Business (JESB). The discussion delves into the motivations behind the issue, the concept of the "Great Divergence" in Japanese business historiography, and new scholarly directions emerging from Japan. The conversation spotlights the breadth of contemporary research, providing insights into innovation, labor, minority entrepreneurship, and the transformation of consumption and finance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Genesis of the Special Issue & Guest Editors' Backgrounds

Timestamps: 01:07 – 04:33

• Pierre-Yves Donzé describes being approached to explore what's happening in Japanese business history, especially among younger scholars, as their presence in international venues had declined.
  • "Many young scholars should have a better attraction from a global audience because what they do is interesting." (Pierre-Yves Donzé, 02:29)
• Maki Umemura joined as co-editor to bridge business history and management fields, having previously worked with Donzé at HBS.
• Both emphasize teamwork in shaping the issue.

2. The “Great Divergence” in Business History

Timestamps: 04:37 – 08:38

• Shift in the Field: Global business history (especially in the West) moved toward social sciences; Japanese business history remained more traditional and historical.
  • "Japan used to be at the top frontier of business history research in the 90s, early 2000s and then it started to decline... but are less engaged than previously." (Pierre-Yves Donzé, 04:48)
• Divergence Defined: Japan did not follow the international turn to interdisciplinary and managerial approaches, creating a “great divergence” in methodologies and themes.
  • "International literature, international conferences and international scholarship changed and Japan didn't change. Divergence, which did not exist in the late 20th century." (Pierre-Yves Donzé, 08:38)

3. New Perspectives and Interdisciplinary Approaches

Timestamps: 05:56 – 07:17

• Young Japanese scholars are employing interdisciplinary approaches to business history, moving away from purely descriptive, company-focused studies.
  • "A lot of the kind of old guard have tended to be highly, highly descriptive and kind of single case studies of companies... these are kind of new ways in which a young generation of scholars are looking at things." (Maki Umemura, 05:56)

4. Article Highlights: Themes and Arguments

a. Labor and Rhetoric in Japanese Business History

Timestamps: 08:55 – 12:43

• Article: Examines rhetorical strategies that legitimized exploitation in Japanese nursing, 1951–2000.
• Focus is on workers’ narratives rather than large corporations—emphasizing a bottom-up perspective:
  • "You have doctors that try to continue to exploit somehow nurses and develop a specific narrative that is in contradiction with the narrative from nurses." (Pierre-Yves Donzé, 11:13)
• Uses sources like trade association journals instead of corporate archives.

b. Marketing & Breakfast Cereal Consumption

Timestamps: 12:43 – 16:43

• Article: Analyzes the Westernization of Japanese breakfast habits, specifically the rise of breakfast cereal.
• Focuses on changing narratives and value propositions rather than technical marketing strategies.
  • "At first selling, like in Europe, breakfast for kids was not very useful... In the end, the new narrative was a healthy breakfast especially for women and it's a magic value proposition that increased the consumption of cereals." (Pierre-Yves Donzé, 13:32)
• Connects consumption shifts to broader social changes like women entering the workforce.

c. Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship: Korean Businesses

Timestamps: 16:43 – 19:41

• Article: Explores the role and evolution of Korean businesses, particularly in pachinko and ethnic food sectors.
  • "Minority business... need to develop their own business with a big communities... and the author made a really great work gathering documents or very few documents from trader associations, said Mackie and Phil Durk." (Pierre-Yves Donzé, 18:14)
• Highlights under-researched sector of minority and immigrant entrepreneurship in Japan.

d. Innovation and 'Applied Business History'

Timestamps: 19:41 – 23:28

• Article: Examines Japanese radical innovation in the lead/serum industry.
• Challenges the stereotype that Japanese firms only do incremental innovation.
  • "Even if you don't have show that for small companies that over focus on innovation is bad because we will develop something that you cannot sell. So you need to think it sounds basic but in a country for Japan, you know, it's quite new thinking what integrating marketing within the innovation process." (Pierre-Yves Donzé, 21:43)
• Introduces 'applied business history'—historians as consultants for policy and business practice.

e. Creativity and Globalization: The Case of Pikachu

Timestamps: 23:28 – 25:52

• Article: Traces the transnational journey of Pikachu, analyzing innovation in Japan's cultural industries.
  • "It’s not only a software. And the author showed that if it's a cultural good, it becomes actually a cultural good through an ecosystem of smaller companies... When you go to the U.S. it's difficult because you cannot transfer the ecosystem." (Pierre-Yves Donzé, 24:07)
• Discusses adaptation of cultural products and ecosystems for global markets.

f. Financial System Transformation and Reciprocity

Timestamps: 25:52 – 27:41

• Article: Re-examines Japan’s shift from a bank-based to a market-based financial system.
  • "It's not a pure transition or disappear of banks. Banks are still there... so they keep still an important place in this transformation despite the transformation." (Pierre-Yves Donzé, 26:11)
• Finds continuities in bank involvement despite liberalization, challenging the dichotomy in varieties-of-capitalism scholarship.

5. Trends: Focus on Contemporary Period (Post-1950s)

Timestamps: 27:41 – 30:39

• Most articles focus on the period after 1950, reflecting both scholarly interest and greater innovation in approaches applied to modern topics.
  • "Many papers about 19th century because there are sources and so on. But I would say the most innovative papers are on the more contemporary periods." (Pierre-Yves Donzé, 28:01)
• Recent periods are more relevant for discussing globalization, institutional change, and ecosystem concepts.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Great Divergence:
  "International literature, international conferences and international scholarship changed and Japan didn't change. Divergence, which did not exist in the late 20th century."
  — Pierre-Yves Donzé (08:38)
• On New Approaches:
  "A lot of the kind of old guard have tended to be highly, highly descriptive and kind of single case studies of companies... these are kind of new ways in which a young generation of scholars are looking at things."
  — Maki Umemura (05:56)
• On Applied Business History:
  "Business historians also could offer some consulting advice to companies... if you learn the history of a case, you can answer some needs, you can explain some problems and find solutions."
  — Pierre-Yves Donzé (21:43)

Summary Table: Article Themes & Methods

| Article Topic | Approach/Insight | Timestamps | |--------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-------------| | Rhetoric in Nursing Labor | Bottom-up, narrative studies | 08:55–12:43 | | Breakfast Cereal Market | Value proposition, narrative marketing | 12:43–16:43 | | Korean Minority Entrepreneurship | Ethnic entrepreneurship, field research | 16:43–19:41 | | Radical Innovation in Industry | Applied history, market integration | 19:41–23:28 | | Pikachu & Cultural Exports | Ecosystems, cultural adaptation | 23:28–25:52 | | Financial System Transformation | Institutional change, continuity | 25:52–27:41 |

Conclusion & Takeaways

• The special issue aims to reinvigorate interest in Japanese business history and highlight new methodological trends and topics.
• Young Japanese scholars are diversifying the field, moving beyond traditional large-firm case studies to include labor, minorities, and interdisciplinary methods.
• Japan's divergence from mainstream (Western) business history is both methodological and thematic, presenting unique research opportunities and challenges.
• The applied business history approach holds potential for broader impact beyond academia.
• The episode provides a comprehensive orientation to the changing landscape of Japanese business history research for international audiences.

End of Summary