The Legacy Of The Japanese Voluntary Export Restraints

First published in 1998, this study of Japan-U.S. trade friction and the role perceptual differences have played in its evolution differs from its predecessors in key ways. First, it is interdisciplinary, drawing on the research of anthropologists, area specialists, intercultural communication specialists, linguists, sociologists, and social psychologists as well as that of political scientists and economists. Second, it both identifies and quantifies perceptual differences between Japanese and American opinion leaders regarding the large bilateral trade imbalances, the bilateral relationship, and national negotiating styles. Third, original data were collected from completed questionnaires sent to 230 American and 230 Japanese opinion leaders from business, government, academia, and the media, who had been involved in some way with the rice, automotive, or semiconductor sectors. Fourth, the three case studies of trade friction are representative of three differing mixes of trade friction are representative of three differing mixes of trade friction causal factors and perceptual dynamics. Finally, based on the findings of this study, modest suggestions are offered on how the bilateral perceptual gap might be narrowed and trade friction diminished so that the structural and sectoral problems might more effectively be addressed. This book should be of interest to scholars, government officials, and business leaders in Japan, the United States, and other countries in the global community who are interested in bilateral relations, international economic and political affairs, and trade friction. It should also be of special interest to social psychologists and cross-cultural scholars and researchers.

This book contains a selection of essays and articles by John H. Jackson previously published over four decades and now collected together into one volume. Each article has been selected for its continued timeliness and relevance to contemporary issues in international trade. Particular attention has been given to making available articles that have previously been less accessible. For the most part articles are republished in their original form but, where appropriate, the author has clearly marked some omissions and added updating material. An indispensable addition to every international trade library.

This book elucidates the economic conditions and policies during the post War Japanese economy from the view point of an influential policy maker. Dr. Osamu Shimomura is one of the most eminent economists in Japan. He entered the Ministry of Finance and played a crucial role in actualizing the High-Growth era from the late 1950s to the early 70s. "The Doubling Income Plan", which is issued by the Ikeda cabinet, originates from him. It should be noted that while most economists held pessimistic view on the future, Shimomura is brave and foresighted. Shimomura’s theory is not merely one of the pioneer works in macroeconomics, but also suits the economic conditions of Japan. Shimomura extends the principle of effective demand, which means that his theory includes effects of capital accumulation to production capacity. While one may argue that Harrod (1939) and Domar (1946) have already achieved that, Shimomura’s theory centers policy recommendations for sustaining the high economic growth against the productivity growth that would cause excess supply in the market. Succinctly, Shimomura is a Keynesian who believes the vigor in its private sector but recognizes that Japanese economy urgently needs the government’s auxiliary macroeconomic policies. This book emphasizes that the rapid Japanese growth owes mainly to affluent entrepreneurship filled in the economy not to the sheer government’s planning. Dr. Shimomura’s theory endorses our assertion.

In less than 30 years, the Japanese automobile industry has risen from obscurity to become the world's leading automobile producer. This bibliography, which lists over 600 English-language titles, focuses on the Japanese automobile industry and its development in the postwar era, especially the period of mass expansion from 1980 to the present. It touches particularly on topics pertaining to the Japanese automobile industry as it relates to the U.S. automobile industry, including the operation of the two industries, Japanese transplants in the United States, and government trade issues. It also features case studies of major Japanese automobile manufacturers. Coverage includes books, articles, conference papers, periodicals, government documents, and audio-visual materials. Entries are fully annotated, and the work is indexed.