Japan's design edge

Japan's design edge
Competitors have yet to catch up with it, says top official

JAPAN is nowhere near losing its No. 1 status to upstarts-in-design South Korea, Taiwan and China.

The country might have been busy nursing its ailing economy the past decade, but its competitors in design have yet to catch up with it.

This is the view of Japan's design authority, made at the three-day Good Design Award 2004 show that concluded yesterday.

In an interview, the event's vice-chairman, design informatics professor Akiko Moriyama, said Japan had started designing for the future, not only in consumer products but also housing and land use. Rivals have not even caught up with its present success.

'We have been preparing for a new era where values and relationships are changed,' she said.

Citing the example of the green and user-friendly hybrid car, Toyota Prius, she said: 'We can already see some results.'

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Jeff