Japan's IT state of the nation: bleak outlook

Good thread on slashdot regarding outsourcing to China.

Here in Sapporo, the local municipal government has a deal with IT companies based in Shenyang. Having personally been involved in project management capacity with a company in Shenyang recently, as well as having worked in the past with support and development teams based in mainland China, I am rather doubtful of the present Sapporo-Shenyang partnership. More so since there are no more direct flights between Sapporo and Shenyang.

I think that the odds are stacked against you in terms of meeting a project deadline on time and with high-quality, largely due to differences in cultural expectations and the lack of a good telecommunications infrastructure in Shenyang. But even more than that, afaik, there is a sorry lack of experience and understanding about such globalized, international endeavors here in Sapporo. It really is disconcerting to see the hit-or-miss approach being taken by some companies.

I suppose that this may have a lot to do with the dwindling numbers of university graduates with technology degrees. I do not think, however, that a strategy of retaining only project managers and outsourcing the bulk of work will succeed in the end, both for the enterprise and for the local and national economies.