The Fifth Generation Computer Project is a two-part book consisting of the invited papers and the analysis. The invited papers examine various aspects of The Fifth Generation Computer Project. The analysis part assesses the major advances of the Fifth Generation Computer Project and provides a balanced analysis of the state of the art in The Fifth Generation. This part provides a balanced and comprehensive view of the development in Fifth Generation Computer technology. The Bibliography compiles the most important published material on the subject of The Fifth Generation.

The Japan Information Processing Development Centre (JIPDEC) established a committee for Study and Research on Fifth-Generation Computers. Beginning in 1979, this Committee set out on a two-year investigation into the most desirable types of computer systems for application in the 1990`s (fifth-generation computers) and how the development projects aimed at the realization of these systems should be carried forward. This book contains the papers presented at the International Conference on Fifth Generation Computer Systems. Included among these papers is a preliminary report on the findings of the Committee.

Despite widespread claims to the contrary, Japan's high-tech industrial policies over the last two turbulent decades have proved to be neither cooperative nor successful. This book focuses on MITI and Japan's giant electronics firms—their ambitions and conflicts—to show that the policymaking process is torn by conflict and competition.