Abstract
Innovation has become an important concept that guides policy in almost every organization in Thailand since the government launched the new economic model ‘Thailand 4.0’ emphasising innovative technology-based manufacturing and services. Nevertheless, this policy seems to emphasise only technological innovation and disregards other aspects of ‘innovation’. In this paper, the authors revisit the notion of innovation and apply it to examine Japanese manga which is a major part of the Japanese publishing industry. Over recent decades, Japanese manga has found great success in Southeast Asia. The paper argues that the success of manga may be because it is not just an invention, but it is also an innovation even though it is not directly associated with technology. Applying documentary research focusing on the notion of innovation and Kaya’s Schumpeterian trilogy as a framework, the researchers found that the development of manga falls within Schumpeter’s five types of innovation. In keeping with the unique characteristics of manga, it is possible to consider it as a non-technological innovation, and a cross-cultural innovation. The study provides new insights into how the concept of ‘innovation’ can be fully implemented to communicate and project Thai cultural understandings whilst contributing to the development of Thailand’s economy, culture, and society. Keywords: innovation, popular culture, manga, Japan, Thailand, cross-cultural innovation
Highlights
The term ‘innovation’ has captivated public attention in Thailand especially in recent years in response to ‘Thailand 4.0’ policy, the new economic model that highlights the concept of ‘innovation’
In Thailand, the accomplishment of manga is manifested in the establishment of publishing houses that are solely dedicated to Japanese manga and in its popularity among Thai children who have grown up with Japanese animation broadcast on Thai television for at least thirty years (Podsatiangool, 2017)
Beyond just an invention for entertainment, manga has evolved to a cross-cultural innovation, the innovation that carries with it the ideologies of the hybridized concepts between the East and the West to communicate with the rest of the world over the language boundary
Summary
The term ‘innovation’ has captivated public attention in Thailand especially in recent years in response to ‘Thailand 4.0’ policy, the new economic model that highlights the concept of ‘innovation’. As almost every organization has adopted the Thailand 4.0 policy, the term is increasingly ubiquitous as is evident in the business sector and media such as HR Innovation, Innovative Business Strategies, Innovative Management, among others It is questionable if the concept of innovation is clearly understood since most of the time it tends to refer to only technological innovation whereas other dimensions of the concept are sorely disregarded. According to Iwabuchi (2002), Natsume (2004), and Yamato (2012), Japan has played an important role in various aspects in Southeast Asia, Thailand included It is regarded as one of the leading countries in Asia in both technological and non-technological innovation. D. 1760–1849) to denote his humorous, illustrated narratives of Ukiyo-e (literally ‘the floating world’) It went through important modifications during the World War II when Japanese society was strongly influenced by the U.S cultures in many aspects. Manga should not be confused with anime, another significant entertainment media
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