This book provides a profound overview of Japanese ways of managing innovation, looking at various relevant levels such as strategy, processes, organization, culture and implementation. Within this framework, contributions by both researchers and practitioners deal with aspects such as the fuzzy front-end of innovation, the role of knowledge in new product development, supplier integration, product architecture, multi-project management and intellectual property rights issues. Case studies serve to illustrate how new product development projects are carried out in Japan and comparisons with practices in Western countries allow for the identification of differences and similarites between management practices in these different cultural regions.