The Purpose of Capitalism: Insights from Japan takes an inside look at some of the largest and oldest Japanese companies to find the answer.

While the Western business world wakes up to ‘purpose’ as a means to address massive environmental degradation, social division and income disparity, for centuries Japan has been playing the long game.

Airing on CNBC at 7pm CET on Saturday 23 October 2021

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Ikujiro Nonaka, Japanese Organizational Theorist, Professor Emeritus Hitotsubashi University

56% of companies in the world that are over 200 years old are in Japan – some of which are even approaching their 900th birthday. Environmentally, only 1% of waste ends up in landfills and in the global transition to renewables, Japan currently ranks No 5.

What is it about Japanese business people that means that good corporate citizenship and ‘purpose beyond profit’ are natural attitudes? How has Japan’s economy dealt with its successes and failures as a result? How can Western companies learn from this age-old approach?

Dr Victoria James – Producer & Director
Cameron Powrie – Producer
Henry Wood – Editor
Katherine Parsons – Executive Producer
Adam Penny – Executive Producer
Elizabeth Smith – Executive Producer
Jon Ayres – Executive Producer
Connected Pictures