From Insularity to Integration: The Reformulation of Socially Responsible Business in Japan

Abstract

CSR in Japan is currently undergoing a reconceptualization as a result of government policies and related reforms being implemented by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration in order to revitalize the Japanese economy from its prolonged economic stagnation. In realization that economic health and vitality can no longer be defined exclusively in terms of isolated corporate interests, Japan’s conservative government is seeking to push corporations out of their commonly criticized insularity and towards a more socially informed and integrated competitive stance. As a result of this, corporations are being called upon to reformulate their CSR plans and activities by integrating social and strategic goals into long-term plans and strategies which cover the full scope of their activities both domestically and globally. This paper will argue that, by acknowledging a link between social wellbeing and long-term economic growth and competitiveness, the Abe administration’s reforms could constitute a turning point in the conceptualization of the social responsibility of corporations in Japan.