The world we live in is battered constantly by many disruptive forces, each of which is powerful enough to stir up significant social, political, or economic disturbance singly on its own. The list of such potent sources of disruption is indeed quite extensive and varied as well.
The “Fourth Industrial Revolution” is ushering in technological advances that may outpace our capacity to understand and retain control over them; pervasive low economic growth has set in, forcing the global economy to undergo appropriate, often painful adjustments; secular trends like population aging forewarn of ominous yet inexorable consequences for economic productivity and welfare spending; while in the international arena, rivalry between the great powers continues to intensify.
Human errors have exacerbated natural problems like climate change and a pandemic spread by a mutant virus, resulting in global threats to the welfare of humankind. Meanwhile, flagrant faults in our society remain unaddressed, including an egregiously outdated education system and old-fashioned politics that cannot seem to rise to such higher levels as demanded by today’s citizens. Against this backdrop of ever-growing uncertainties and the emerging new challenges, never has there been a greater need for well thought-out preemptive policy responses that are firmly grounded in long-term and global perspectives.
To come up with solid, forward-looking policy initiatives, it is not enough to secure experts with the requisite experience, insight, and capacity for rigorous analyses that can identify the best policy alternative. In addition to such absolute prerequisites, we believe that is crucial to create a forum where such experts and others concerned can be brought together to engage each other in active discussion as part of the search for the best solution. Furthermore, investing in the next generation and nurturing the principle of “People are Policy” as the core value behind all of our endeavors is also as important, as it fosters a heritage of caring and excellence that can be shared from one generation to the next.
