Relic Publishing's Latest Book 'Japan Reboot: Japanese Companies' Path to Victory and Strategic Indispensability' Tops Amazon Rankings in Five Categories

Relic Publishing, the publishing label of venture co-creation company Relic Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya, Tokyo; CEO: Takao Kitashima; CTO: Ryo Ohniwa), has released a highly anticipated new book by Nobuaki Kawaguchi, Executive Chief Scientist at Astamuse Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda, Tokyo; President and CEO: Ayumu Nagai; hereinafter "Astamuse"). Titled 'Japan Reboot: Japanese Companies' Path to Victory and Strategic Indispensability—Designing Survival Strategies for the Technology Hegemony Era with Data-Driven Methods', the book has achieved No.1 rankings across five categories on Amazon.

Amazon Ranking Achievements

Released on June 12, 2026, the book reached No.1 in five Amazon bestseller categories within just a few days of launch. It has gained widespread acclaim as 'a practical and immediately applicable industrial strategy blueprint for thriving in uncertain times,' particularly among executives, R&D departments, and business professionals engaged in business development.

Print Book (surveyed June 22–23, 2026)

• New Releases Ranking – Modern Economics: No.1

E-books (surveyed June 12–13, 2026)

• Bestseller Ranking – Kindle Books Overall: No.1

• Bestseller Ranking – Economic Thought and Economic Theories: No.1

• Bestseller Ranking – Consulting: No.1

• Bestseller Ranking – Management Systems and Planning: No.1

Background of the Book and Significance of 'Co-Creation'

Japan has never been idle during its so-called 'lost 30 years.' However, much of its efforts have been confined to incremental improvements within existing frameworks, failing to fundamentally rewrite underlying assumptions. As industrial competitiveness and national security converge in the race for deep-tech supremacy—driven by AI, quantum technologies, biotechnology, and next-generation energy—Japanese companies are now required to establish irreplaceable positions within global supply chains. This book is a practical strategy guide that consolidates Astamuse's vast database of over 10 billion data points and insights gained from supporting innovation and new business creation for more than 400 major Japanese corporations.

Since its founding, Relic has supported numerous new business developments and implemented innovations through co-creation with diverse partners. This book emerged from the fusion of Astamuse's extensive data assets and the knowledge visualization enabled by Relic's 'One Person, One Book, One Business' initiative. It aims to provide direction and inspiration for all challengers striving to take ownership of change and actively shape the future.

Key Contents and Features of the Book

Visualization of 'Strategic Indispensability (choke points)' guided by over 10 billion primary data points

By scoring objective intangible asset databases—including 120 million patents, 260 million academic papers, 7 million grants, and startup investments—the book precisely identifies critical technological areas where Japanese companies must establish early leadership. These include advanced fields such as optical lattice clocks, perovskite solar cells, and nuclear fusion reactor cores, which cannot be easily replicated and are invisible through simple aggregation of public information.

A cross-sectoral perspective on 'Redesigning Japan' across policy, management, and investment

The book interprets 17 strategic domains and eight cross-cutting foundations not merely as policy items, but as a blueprint for transforming Japan into a 'crisis management investment state.' It integrates topics ranging from AI and quantum technologies to space, ocean, logistics, and geopolitics, offering concrete implications for businesses and investors at the end of each chapter.

Exclusive bonus for purchasers: 'Practical Worksheet' enabling immediate strategic assessment of one's own company

A QR code in the book allows readers to download a special bonus: the 'Practical Worksheet for Designing Strategic Indispensability.' This intuitive, hands-on tool enables companies to quickly assess their strengths and visualize geopolitical risks, providing a clear picture of their current strategic positioning.

【Book Information】

Title: Japan Reboot: Japanese Companies' Path to Victory and Strategic Indispensability—Designing Survival Strategies for the Technology Hegemony Era with Data-Driven Methods

Author: Nobuaki Kawaguchi (Executive Chief Scientist, Astamuse Co., Ltd.)

Release Date: June 12, 2026

Price: Hardcover 1,500 yen (excluding tax)

Publisher: Relic Inc.

Amazon URL

【Author Profile】

Nobuaki Kawaguchi Executive Chief Scientist, Technology Intelligence Division, Astamuse Co., Ltd.

< Biography >

Born in Osaka in 1959. Graduated from Osaka Prefectural Tennoji High School. Completed his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Molecular Biology and Developmental Cell Chemistry) at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1989. Immediately after earning his doctorate, he founded a startup and worked as a producer for international conferences on global environmental and civilizational futures. Joined Astamuse in 2011. Has contributed to developing logic for strategic consulting in R&D and commercialization for corporations, universities, and government agencies; defining 176 promising growth areas and 105 social issues; quantitative evaluation of global research, technology, and markets; future forecasting and emerging trend discovery; and quantification of social issue materiality. Since 2022, participated in JST's project 'Building a Spatiotemporal Information Infrastructure using Cloud Optical Lattice Clocks' (with the University of Tokyo and RIKEN), focusing on identifying potential applications and formulating IP strategies. Contributed to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's expert panel recommendations on 'Tokyo's Structural Reform in the Post-COVID Era—Driving DX Forward' in October 2020. Provided input at METI's Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 Government Pavilion Concept Hearing in May 2021. Major publications include 'Future Map to 2080' (Gijutsu-Hyohron Co., Ltd., 2024), '2060: The Blank Map for Future Creation' (Gijutsu-Hyohron Co., Ltd., 2020), 'Frontiers in Utilizing Biological Data' (co-authored, Science & Technology, 2017), and 'Visualization and Mechanism Analysis of Senses and Cognitive Functions Using Artificial Intelligence' (co-authored, JIAT, 2021), among others.

Recommended Books by Nobuaki Kawaguchi

Kawaguchi's books 'Future Map to 2080' and '2060: The Blank Map for Future Creation' (both published by Gijutsu-Hyohron) have been adopted as designated reading materials at academic institutions such as Keio University Graduate School of Business Administration, and are widely used as recommended reading and training materials across various industries. They have also been referenced in university entrance exams, earning high acclaim from both academia and industry. Amid growing societal uncertainty due to the rapid spread of generative AI, this series transcends mere technological forecasting by offering 'clues to designing a future worth living in'—a resource now in high demand at the forefront of business.

'2060: The Blank Map for Future Creation' (Gijutsu-Hyohron / 2020)

▼ Book Details (Gijutsu-Hyohron official website)

https://gihyo.jp/book/2020/978-4-297-11159-5

'Future Map to 2080' (Gijutsu-Hyohron / 2024)

▼ Book Details Page (Gijutsu-Hyohron official website)

https://gihyo.jp/book/2024/978-4-297-14065-6

About the Publishing Label 'RelicPublishing'

RelicPublishing is a publishing label dedicated to delivering intellectual capital that drives innovation to society.

'Only a noble and lofty life is the greatest legacy to posterity'—this quote by Uchimura Kanzo, the inspiration behind the company name, reflects our belief that the relentless pursuit of innovation by enterprises facing an uncertain future is the greatest legacy we can leave for future generations. We aim to revitalize the circulation of knowledge through unconventional publishing models to accelerate Japan's business development.

The 'One Person, One Book, One Business' Initiative: A Unique Organizational Development Concept for Capitalizing Practical Knowledge

Relic promotes a unique organizational development concept in which every employee is challenged to write a book based on their practical knowledge ('One Person, One Book') and to create an independent business ('One Person, One Business'). This initiative institutionalizes Relic's founding philosophy that 'every team member is both an entrepreneur and a specialist.'

To implement this vision, Relic established SenQAI Inc., a strategic subsidiary leveraging generative AI and no-code technologies to support business creation by all employees—including non-engineers—and RelicPublishing, a publishing label dedicated to systematizing and disseminating the knowledge generated through this process.

Through the dual engines of business creation and publishing, Relic transforms individual initiatives into organizational intellectual capital, accelerating knowledge transfer and co-creation opportunities, and forming the foundation for its sustainable growth.

About Relic, the Venture Co-Creation Company

Relic is a 'venture co-creation company' that partners with leading Japanese corporations to turn new ventures, open innovation, AX, and DX initiatives from mere concepts into realized businesses—with full support through monetization, integration into core operations, spin-offs, or employee-led startups. By overcoming the unique barriers and constraints of large enterprises through its proprietary 'Outsider Co-Creation Scheme®,' Relic leverages one of Japan's largest BTC organizations equipped with business, technology, and creative expertise to execute strategies from concept to implementation and growth. As both a collective of entrepreneurs that has independently launched diverse ventures and startups exceeding 10 billion yen in revenue, and as a specialist organization with deep expertise across AI, hardware, and deep-tech domains, Relic offers integrated innovation management—including proprietary products and investments from its own VC/CVC funds. As the leading domestic player in new venture development (※), Relic stands as a unique co-creation partner, having engaged in business development and joint ventures with over 5,000 companies through its 18 locations across Japan.

※ 2024, 'Market Research on Boutique Consulting in New Business Development,' Relic Inc. and Digital Impact Inc., https://relic.co.jp/press-release/54696/

About Astamuse Co., Ltd.

Founded on the mission of creating and investing in new ventures and innovations that drive future creation and solve social challenges, Astamuse has supported over 400 major Japanese corporations over the past 20 years, creating numerous impactful businesses and new ventures generating over 10 billion yen in revenue. Beyond strategic support and know-how transfer, Astamuse has built one of the world's largest data infrastructures related to technology, intangible assets, growth markets, social issues, and value chains. With domain experts across various fields, the company provides proprietary algorithms and AI agents capable of generating insights and ideas that cannot be achieved through public-data-only generative AI or brainstorming sessions. Astamuse also has extensive experience providing future forecasting, M&A support, technology and non-financial valuation, and talent development services to government agencies, corporations, and investors.

Company Overview: Astamuse Co., Ltd.

Company Name: Astamuse Co., Ltd.

Representative: President and CEO Ayumu Nagai

Address: 2-2-1 Kanda-Nishikicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0054, KANDA SQUARE 11F WeWork

Founded: September 2, 2005

Business Activities: New venture and innovation creation support, future creation and forecasting services, investment management support, investment, M&A and business alliance support, data and scoring sales

Corporate Website: https://www.astamuse.co.jp/

【Inquiries Regarding This Announcement】

For inquiries about the book content, author interviews, or Astamuse's data

Astamuse Co., Ltd., Public Relations

https://www.astamuse.co.jp/contact/

For inquiries about publishing, distribution, or Relic's venture co-creation initiatives

Relic Inc., Public Relations: Chiyoko Sato

MOBILE: 050-1753-0912

E-MAIL: pr@relic.co.jp

Relic Inc.

Company Name: Relic Inc.

Representatives: CEO Takao Kitashima / CTO Ryo Ohniwa

Headquarters: Ebisu Garden Play Studio Tower 19F, 4-20-3 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Founded: August 2015

Business Activities: Incubation tech, venture production/new business development support, open innovation (startup investment, VC fund operation, CVC establishment and management support, joint ventures), innovator talent development, regional revitalization and local innovation, innovation workplace services

Corporate Website: https://relic.co.jp

Services: https://relic.co.jp/services/