This essay applies the framework of Strategy — most prominently associated with C.K. Prahalad & Gary Hamel — to analyze the Kansai IGF 2025 Osaka conference from a management perspective. Target audience: executives, MBA students, management researchers, consultants, and policy analysts.
Executive Summary
Prahalad & Hamel's core competence locates sustainable competitive advantage in fundamental capability bundles rather than specific businesses. What is Japan's core competence in the digital realm? Messaging at Kansai IGF is a strategic answer to this question.
For firms operating in Japan and adjacent AI, 大阪万博, 若者 domains, this essay maps how to incorporate the conference debate into strategic decision-making through the lens of Core competence.
Core competence of nations and regions
Technical, regulatory, and social agendas at 2025 are opportunities to identify each country's core competence. The strategic intent of discovering Japan's distinctive strength and linking it to international-standard formation matters.
The theoretical framework of C.K. Prahalad & Gary Hamel provides a lens to read the 2025 debate not as mere "industry trends" but as a precursor of structural change. The fact that this is a national-level discussion has direct strategic implications for the geographic scope of the target market.
Strategic intent
For practical application, we map the applicability of Core competence to each topic at the conference.
1. Application to "AI"
The discussion on "AI" can be located, in C.K. Prahalad & Gary Hamel's framework, as a primary strategic variable.
Concrete managerial implications include:
- Implications for Japan's market: early identification of regulatory trends and preemptive business-model adjustment
- Impact on competitive advantage: monitoring competitors' moves and reviewing one's differentiation strategy
- Investment decisions: allocation of R&D investment and reconfiguration of the portfolio
2. Application to "大阪万博"
The discussion on "大阪万博" can be located, in C.K. Prahalad & Gary Hamel's framework, as an important constraint.
Concrete managerial implications include:
- Implications for Japan's market: early identification of regulatory trends and preemptive business-model adjustment
- Impact on competitive advantage: monitoring competitors' moves and reviewing one's differentiation strategy
- Investment decisions: allocation of R&D investment and reconfiguration of the portfolio
3. Application to "若者"
The discussion on "若者" can be located, in C.K. Prahalad & Gary Hamel's framework, as an auxiliary topic.
Concrete managerial implications include:
- Implications for Japan's market: early identification of regulatory trends and preemptive business-model adjustment
- Impact on competitive advantage: monitoring competitors' moves and reviewing one's differentiation strategy
- Investment decisions: allocation of R&D investment and reconfiguration of the portfolio
4. Application to "国内法整備"
The discussion on "国内法整備" can be located, in C.K. Prahalad & Gary Hamel's framework, as an auxiliary topic.
Concrete managerial implications include:
- Implications for Japan's market: early identification of regulatory trends and preemptive business-model adjustment
- Impact on competitive advantage: monitoring competitors' moves and reviewing one's differentiation strategy
- Investment decisions: allocation of R&D investment and reconfiguration of the portfolio
5. Application to "政府＋民間協働"
The discussion on "政府＋民間協働" can be located, in C.K. Prahalad & Gary Hamel's framework, as an auxiliary topic.
Concrete managerial implications include:
- Implications for Japan's market: early identification of regulatory trends and preemptive business-model adjustment
- Impact on competitive advantage: monitoring competitors' moves and reviewing one's differentiation strategy
- Investment decisions: allocation of R&D investment and reconfiguration of the portfolio
Strategic Actions for Firms Operating in Japan
We translate the management analysis above into concrete actions for firms operating in Japan.
Short-term (within 6 months)
- Intelligence gathering: closely read the Kansai IGF 2025 minutes and reports; share with the corporate strategy function
- Stakeholder mapping: identify relevant regulators, industry associations, and civil society organizations
- Risk assessment: quantify potential impacts of the regulatory directions under discussion
Medium-term (1–3 years)
- Capability building: close the capability gaps identified through the Core competence framework
- Alliance strategy: cultivate relationships with the international IGF community
- Regulatory dialogue: shift from reactive compliance to proactive agenda-setting
Long-term (3–10 years)
- Business model reconstruction: structural transformation informed by C.K. Prahalad & Gary Hamel's framework
- Contribution to international standard-setting: sustained participation in venues like Kansai IGF
- Norm formation from Japan: accumulation of soft power through distinctive contributions to international debate
ROI Analysis Perspective
In C.K. Prahalad & Gary Hamel's framework, ROI of investment in Kansai IGF participation is evaluated not as a single-year financial metric but as multi-year option value. This aligns with the "real options" approach to decision-making under uncertainty.
| Dimension | Short-term ROI | Long-term option value |
|---|---|---|
| Direct financial | Limited | Medium–Large |
| Network capital | Medium | Large |
| Brand / legitimacy | Medium | Large |
| Policy intelligence | Large | Medium–Large |
| Talent development | Medium | Large |
Conclusion: A Question to Executives
Reading Kansai IGF 2025 through the auxiliary line of C.K. Prahalad & Gary Hamel's framework, the conference emerges not as a mere international gathering but as a site of contemporary implementation of Core competence. Executives in Japan face a strategic choice: passive observer or active participant.
This essay argues that the latter choice is indispensable for building long-term competitive advantage. C.K. Prahalad & Gary Hamel's theoretical insight provides the intellectual foundation for that strategic choice.
Primary Sources
- IGF Secretariat. Annual Reports of Kansai IGF.
- Kansai IGF 2025 Osaka Conference Materials.
- Japan IGF Support Organization. https://japanigf.jp/
- Nakazawa Yuki Blog. https://nkzw.jp/category/igf/
Secondary Sources (Management)
- Works of C.K. Prahalad & Gary Hamel (representative texts of Strategy)
*This piece belongs to the academic essays (management series). Strategic proposals are illustrative applications of general analytical frameworks; specific business judgments require individual due diligence.*
更新履歴
第1稿投稿 2026年6月7日 21時18分（記事コンテンツアップ）
— 中澤祐樹
