Takashi Inoue (born 20 November 1944) is a public relations (PR) practitioner, scholar, and theorist, known for theories such as his "The three forces of hyper-globalization", "Self-Correction Model of Public Relations"[1], and "Japan model".[2] He is also known for being the first to teach in postwar Japan public relations courses at a major university and is the Chairman and CEO of Inoue Public Relations[3], which he founded in 1970. He is a Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Management, Kyoto University[4] and at Kobe Institute of Computing (KIC).[5][6] He has been quoted in major foreign press reports on various topics such as the East Japan Earthquake[7] and 2018 arrest in Japan of Nissan Chairman, Carlos Ghosn.[8] He has spoken out about modern Japan's lack of PR skills and has described the resulting "Deficiency of Japanese diplomacy" [1], and in 2010 he wrote about Corporate Japan's almost endless string of major scandals leading to "A culture of apologies: Communicating crises in Japan"[9]
He was born in the Chinese city of Dalian(formerly Dairen, Manshū) at the end of World War II as the 6th child of Mr. Rikichi Inoue, who was then the Japanese wartime vice mayor of the city, and Mrs. Junko Inoue. He first touched Japanese soil before reaching age 2, when the family repatriated after the war. He grew up in Japan as part of the first postwar generation.[10]
To consistently achieve goals and to survive a crisis organizations need to establish a process of two-way communications, ethics, continuous self-correction, and recognition of the central role played by human free-will[1][11][12][13][14][15].
Kizuna Education
"Kizuna," the Japanese word for building relationships between people, is a fundamental skill that helps people live harmoniously in society and to achieve their personal goals through cooperation with others. “Kizuna Education” is the concept that it is necessary in today’s global society to teach children at very early stages[16], including preschool the skill of relationship building in order to foster global peace[11].
Public Relations Life-Cycle Model
Structured public relations process aimed at achieving goals quickly and economically through "win-win" outcomes for both the organization and its many stakeholders. The model includes defining PR objectives, setting communication channels, PR strategy, PR program, implementation, analysis, and correction[15][17].
Japan Model
Japan is an "advanced problem solving nation" that can provide social and technological solutions to global challenges[2][15].
Three Forces of Hyper-globalization
Explains globalization in terms of Hyper-globalization as the new environment of the 21st century being shaped by three forces of (1) massive global trade and cross-border economic integration, (2) global and instant communications of the internet, and (3) rapid disruptive technological change through advances in such things as big data, Internet of Things, and Artificial Intelligence that is bringing massive economic and rapid social changes leading to a world of technological singularity[15][18][19].
Takashi Inoue founded Inoue Public Relations (IPR) in 1970 as one of the first PR firms in Japan to focus on high technology. Between late 1970s and early 1980s he helped both Intel and Apple Inc. enter the Japan market. In 1984 he planned and executed the public relations program for the launch of Apple’s MAC in Japan[3]. In the late 1990s when Japan’s trade surplus created trade friction with the U.S., his firm helped a U.S. auto parts manufacturer achieve deregulation in Japan in the famous case of Tenneco[20][21]. By bringing about changes in Japan's tax and automotive regulations in the automotive parts market, which had acted as non-tariff trade barriers, IPR helped Tenneco expand sales in Japan. This success helped avoided U.S. trade sanctions that U.S. President Clinton had threatened[15]. These changes also resulted in Inoue Public Relations winning in 1997 the prestigious International Public Relations Association’s Golden World Award Grand Prize[3]. IPR also won the 2015 (IPRA) award for [22] successful deregulation public relations campaign for its client CONCUR JAPAN, LTD[23][24].
After practicing public relations in Japan for over 30 years, he started a public relations course at Waseda University in 2004[25], which was the first of its kind at a major Japanese university. In 2009 Takashi Inoue received a Ph.D. from Waseda University, as the first doctoral degree awarded for public relations, and for research for the Self-Correction Model of Public Relations. He has been teaching at the Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Management since 2012[3].[4]
Inoue, T. (2003a). "An Overview of Public Relations in Japan and the Self-Correction Concept", In K. Sriramesh, & D. Vercic (Eds.), The global public relations handbook: Theory, research, and practice. (pp.323-353). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associate.
^Inoue, Takashi (October 2009). "The Self-Correction Model in Public Relations". Frontline Online.
^Inoue, Takashi (October 2002). "米国におけるパブリック・リレーションズの発展の分析・考察と新しいモデルの提案 [U. S. Public Relations in Transition : Analysis of its Evolution and Proposal for a New Model]". Journal of the Japan Information-culture Society. 9(1), 2002-10-20: 61–75.
^Inoue, Takashi (2002). "The Need for Two-Way Communications and Self-Correction". IPRA, Frontline.