Yoshiro Miwa asks whether a state can correct market failures and in particular critically analyses the performance of the Japanese economy as a result of state intervention within it. In order to examine the capacity of the state to promote growth, Miwa examines the Japanese machine tool industry, the government's role in promoting this sector and government efforts to achieve growth in small and medium sized enterprises in Japan.

This is an easy-to-read book that explains how and why Japan industrialized rapidly. It traces historical development from the feudal Edo period to high income and technology in the current period. Catch-up industrialization is analyzed from a broad perspective including social, economic and political aspects. Historical data, research and contesting arguments are amply supplied. Japan’s unique experience is contrasted with the practices of today’s developing countries. Negative aspects such as social ills, policy failures, military movements and war years are also covered. Nineteenth-century Japan already had a happy combination of strong entrepreneurship and relatively wise government, which was the result of Japan’s long evolutionary history. Measured contacts with high civilizations of China, India and the West allowed cumulative growth without being destroyed by them. Imported ideas and technology were absorbed with adjustments to fit the local context. The book grew out of a graduate course for government officials from developing countries. It offers a comprehensive look and new insights at Japan’s industrial path that are often missing in standard historical chronicles. Written in an accessible and lively form, the book engages scholars as well as novices with no prior knowledge of Japan.

The Japanese economy is the second largest in the world and is becoming once more one of the most competitive. Despite the stagnation and deflation experienced during the 1990s, Japan has progressively become more aware of the need to be a global player, in particular under the radical administration of former Prime Minister Koizumi. A vigorous approach to intellectual property borrowed from the US and Europe, stressing the importance of innovation, assisted in kick-starting the Japanese economy again and has sustained its increasingly high performance. This book examines how Japan has used this new approach to intellectual property (IP) to revitalise its economy. It explains how IP has traditionally been used in Japan, and goes on to identify the ways in which this has changed in recent years, identifying the different facets of IP utilised to propel the Japanese economy to new heights: Firstly, by promoting IP through Technical Licensing Organisations (TLO) laws and uniting the universities with the needs of industry. Secondly, via radical changes to employees’ rights to compensation through the landmark decisions made by the Tokyo District Court. Thirdly, by the streamlining of patenting applications and procedures through the Tokyo and Osaka District IP Courts, and the Japanese Patent Office. Fourthly, by internationalising its capital markets, as displayed by the cooperation between the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and other bourses. Overall, this book is essential reading for all those interested in understanding the modern Japanese economy, and how it is adapting to exploit the opportunities and challenges of an increasingly globalised world.

The transformation of the Vietnamese economy from socialist planning to a market economy has led to Vietnam having one of the fastest economic growth rates in the world; and to also to Vietnam engaging much more with the international economy, joining the World Trade Organisation in 2006. This book fills a significant gap by surveying the economic reforms in Vietnam, where most studies have concentrated on other ‘young tiger’ economies. In particular it discusses the transformation of employment relations which have been a key part of the reforms and a necessary pre-condition to WTO membership. It examines the nature of employment reforms, analyses the motivation behind new policy initiatives and examines the detail of reforms in a range of business enterprises, reporting on extensive original research. Throughout it shows how several key forces have interacted – globalisation, government political interests, national cultural norms, market, managerial ideology and the special characteristics of particular firms – to produce a particular Vietnamese brand of post-communist market economy. Overall, this book illuminates the how employment relation practices are formed in transitional economies, and more broadly the economic and political transformation of socialist economies in the context of the global market.

This book presents a comprehensive analysis of current trends of trade and economic growth in Asia, assessing how they are likely to develop in the future. It examines the evolving patterns of Asian economic development with the emergence of China, including since China’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2001. It is written by experts specialising in economic growth and regional and global trade/investment issues, alongside country specialists who have examined the development path of Asian economies. It discusses the significance of a export-oriented growth strategy on the Asian region, and the likely patterns of intra-regional specialisation given China’s rise. The book examines the degree to which the remarkable growth of China is likely to affect other Asian countries in terms of global market share, and growth prospects. The book explores how the rise of intra-industry trade is affecting patterns of specialisation in the region, and appraises the role of multinational corporations and foreign direct investment. Informed by the latest empirical economic thinking, this book is a rigorous examination of the influence of an emerging economic superpower, and the future for economic growth in Asia. Readers interested in the implications of the rise of China, the effect on the economic development path of the most successful developing nations of our time and the lessons to be heeded from China’s integration with the global economy will find this a thorough yet accessible account of the influence of an emerging economic superpower.

The typical view of Korean women is not as managers. The stereotype is of Korean women serving and pleasing men, or more recently as aggressive shopkeepers and bar-owners. Very little has been written to challenge this misconception. This fascinating book reveals there have always been managers amongst Korean women, particularly in occupations like money lending, retail and fashion, and women continue to serve after the economic crash at the beginning of a new century. Korean Women Managers and Corporate Culture illuminates the many roles of women - from management, leadership and policy making, to the more traditional positions as homemaker and wife – and describes the distinctive Korean corporate culture and economy in order to evaluate the future of women as well as that of Korea itself.

Japan is a mix of the old and the new, traditional and modern, and old fashion and innovative. It has traveled the road to a modern destination without totally losing sight of its traditions and values. Although some in Japan lament the passing of old ways, Japan has held on to a reasonable amount of its traditions and values. This is easier to find in its arts and crafts and its literature and films as well as in its social habits. This book will introduce the broad sweep of people, events, and trends, including the successes and failures, of postwar Japan. This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Postwar Japan contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 500 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Japan.