1. Smartification of cities (mechanisms for creating next-generation smart cities)

A major problem facing Japan today is the lack of clear policies to build a strong industry and economy that will serve as the backbone for the future. This problem is symbolized by what is known as "The Lost Decades" in Japan. The country also faces numerous other serious issues such as depopulation in rural areas due to an extreme population outflow to the Tokyo metropolitan area (one-tenth of Japan's total population lives in Tokyo), an aging population that will continue to accelerate in the future (the elderly population is expected to exceed 35% by 2040), and the weakening finances of the national and local governments, etc.

In response, the Japanese government has set forth new innovation policies such as the policies for smart cities, startup of local venture businesses, and green DX.

I am particularly interested in the smartification of cities and regions. Also, as one of the new industries of the future, I am focusing on the creation of new industries and companies such as DX solutions and service startups in the smart city field. I am conducting research on these topics from the perspective of business administration.

2. New urban smart cities and retrofit smart cities

Japan has been working on creating smart cities since around 2005, and there are already around 278 smart city projects. A common feature of Japan's smart cities is that most of them are urban redevelopment projects (retrofit type). This is due to Japan's small land area. A distinctive feature of Japanese smart cities is that industry, academia, government and the private sector work together to create new businesses, such as DX and service ventures based in smart cities.

Meanwhile, China is working to form a huge new urban smart city on a scale that occurs once every millennium; hence the name of the project--"Millennium Plan." The focus of this project is the smart city of Xiong'an New Area, which is located 105 km from Beijing and Tianjin, 155 km from Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province, 30 km from Baoding, and 55 km from Beijing Daxing International Airport. Xiong'an New Area has competitive advantages in terms of its location, convenient and smooth transportation, excellent natural environment, resource environment, low level of development, abundant development space, high starting point and basic conditions for high-level development and construction.

My research theme is to examine a universal model for the field of smart cities by conducting comparative research from the perspective of business administration on the formation mechanisms of Japanese retrofit smart cities and China's new urban smart city Xiong'an New Area.

3. Advantages of the smart business model

The smart business model aims to identify and solve problems in the creation of next-generation smart cities and regional revitalization (green DX, smart agriculture, etc.). In the fields of smart cities and regional revitalization, the role of DX technologies such as generative AI, big data analysis, autonomous driving, and digital twins is considered important. The model aims to realize strategic collaboration in these new fields, and identify the characteristics of industry-academia-government-private partnerships and issues for service startups (smart business creation), as well as to give policy proposals based on academic research.

4. Corporate DX and management transformation

DX innovation is an essential issue for corporate growth. Japanese companies are working on management innovation and transformation by developing smart businesses that utilize DX. Furthermore, the rise of new venture companies such as GAFAM and China Digital is dramatically changing the competitive environment.

Against such background, I am identifying the issues in the progress of corporate DX, defining requirements, monetization (platform strategy), and identifying the characteristics in the process of app development, as well as researching mechanisms on competitive advantages in the DX innovation field.

Tianbao Guo／Assistant Professor, Chuo Graduate School of Strategic Management
Area of Specialization: Business Administration (Service Startups, Smart Business, and DX Innovation)

Tianbao Guo graduated from university with a major in Japanese language studies. In 2019, he obtained an MBA from the Graduate School of International Management, Yokohama City University. After working in international sales at a Hitachi Group company from 2019, he launched an education-related venture company as its founder. In 2022, he entered the Doctoral Program in commerce in the Graduate School of Commerce, Chuo University. He has served as a researcher in the Chuo University Institute of Business Research, a researcher in the Meiji University Institute for Service Innovation Studies, and a research assistant in the Tsinghua University Research Center for Japanese Studies (China). He has held his current position since 2023.

His research themes include the mechanisms of smart city formation, regional revitalization (green DX, smart agriculture, etc.), and the identification of characteristics of management issues (strategy, organization, human resources) in the area of corporate DX (smart business).

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