Over the past decade, Japanese corporations have made a series of large, news-generating gifts to a variety of United States universities, museums, and research institutions. Many of these gifts have differed in both nature and magnitude from the contributions made by Japanese companies domestically. The stir generated by such corporate grants is evidenced on the one hand by the influx into Japan of American, European, and Asian fundraisers seeking grants for their organizations, and on the other hand by the intensifying debate within Japan about the appropriate role for Japanese institutions as international corporate philanthropists and citizens. As with every facet of the complex United States-Japan relationship, cultural disparities make the American and Japanese approaches to philanthropy quite different, creating the potential for friction and disappointment in this realm as surely as in the realm of trade and international business. This book examines major legal and functional aspects of Japanese corporate philanthropy and attempts to place them in their cultural setting. Drawing on her experience as an attorney and five years in Japan, Ms. London aims to make Japanese corporate grantmaking more comprehensible not only to Americans but also to Japanese as they begin to focus more attention on the role and meaning of corporate philanthropy.

Americanizing Japanese Firms examines the concept of corporate social responsibility in Japanese manufacturing companies within the United States. The study compares the corporate philanthropy of Japanese companies against American and British companies. Specifically, the study investigates characteristics of Japanese companies that influence the level and nature of the corporate philanthropy undertaken. The relationship between size of the company and the level and nature of corporate social responsibility is also examined. Finally, the study explores how Japanese corporations learn about the American approach of corporate philanthropy. In his investigations, the author considered two contexts: first, the constitutions of Japan and the United States are analyzed at a national level to determine the position or importance of corporate philanthropy within the societies comparatively; and second, the communities in which corporations are located and act for social contribution are investigated.

Culture no longer has borders. With the advent of internet sites like Sothebys.com and the increasing reality of globalization, culture itself has gone global. This collection focuses on questions involving national identity, indigenous culture, economic growth, free trade, cultural policy, and global tourism. Global Culture looks at all aspects of the arts including: film, art, music, theater, television, and museums. Global Culture fleshes out how current cultural policies are working and forecasts what we can expect the future landscape of global culture to look like.

Examines complex and diverse links between philanthropy, civil society and globalization as a single theme that goes beyond standard economic interpretations Has the potential to generate interest among a wider audience of academics, public policy makers and administrators in the field of philanthropy, civil society and globalization

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The Center examined Japan's quest for U.S. ideas in science, economic policy and the schools, and found, among other things, that taxpayer-supported, high-tech university laboratory research is being sold away for a song to Japanese and other non-U.S. corporations.