That ideas should freely spread from one to another over the globe, for the moral and mutual instruction of man, and improvement of his condition, seems to have been peculiarly and benevolently designed by nature …”, Letter of Thomas Jefferson to Isaac McPherson, 13th August 1813. 5  Acemoglu, Aghion and Zilibotti (2006). 6  This is the so-called advantage of backwardness, Gerschenkron (1962).
All this using a comparative perspective and practical approach, with due consideration to Japan’s wide-ranging experience and utmost consideration of country-specific issues and circumstances. Needless to say, there are many wise people in this conference. Browsing through the line-up of the paper presentations, I could also see many timely, relevant, and innovative policy ideas that may emanate from such discussions.