Japanese companies still face an uphill battle to maintain their competitiveness, given the obstacles and opportunities in the country's political and economic environment.

"Abenomics" may represent a clear-thinking policy toward reviving the Japanese economy, but what matters is how the thinking is translated into action, and that requires the right organization and institutional structure — something that is notably lacking in Europe as it gropes its way out of the debt crisis.

These were among the views expressed by scholars at U.S. business schools who took part in a symposium, organized by the Keizai Koho Center in Tokyo on May 31, to discuss issues of competitiveness under a globalized economy from corporate and national perspectives.