Japan is a champion of patent applications, so what?

Question:

Referring to this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_patents

We see that Japan tops the list. Yet, look at all the innovations that really change the word, and they are still in great part coming from the West. Why is that?

Answer:

It is cultural. Let me explain:
Patents, innovation, and concept are three different things.
Patents can also be issued on items whose popularity and visibility are low. Japan is one of the masters of incremental innovation, as opposed to concept innovation. So, the kinds of patents we see coming out of Japan tend to cover subtle changes. It is easier to come up with more of those than it is to come up with actual concept innovation - therefore, Japan sees more patent applications. The common, layman western definition of innovation means concept innovation, when you ask the man in the street - that means, when a westerner hears "innovation", the expectation is to see a sensation, something never seen before. Segway Scooter, not just a slightly tweaked Honda Civic. Macbook instead of Toshiba L750. That kind of thinking runs counter to many Asian countries' cultural ideals, because it is seen as breaking away from norm. Western countries though reward that kind of thinking, and the population even tends to see incremental innovation as borderline plagiarism - hence the notion that Asian countries "just copy everything". Well, strictly speaking, that would be a western view entirely. What they are really performing is incremental innovation. The advantage of that kind of approach is of course that the risk is lower than in western style concept innovation, where you simply take in stride that much is uncharted waters.