Asia In Japan's Embrace: Building A Regional Production Alliance (cambridge Asia-pacific Studies)

This book is an incisive analysis of Japan's deepening economic presence in Asia. It challenges neoclassical economists, arguing that instead of simply building a 'yen bloc' or responding to market forces, Japanese business and government elites are working together to build an expanded - and potentially exclusive - production zone. The authors suggest that the transplantation of many standard Japanese business practices in Asia is based on the concept of keiretsu (enterprise group) which allows a complex web of production networks to develop. The book shows that such strategic control of technology is a unique model of globalisation. While informed by economic theory, Asia in Japan's Embrace is highly accessible, containing interviews and anecdotal evidence from factory floors and board rooms. It is comprehensive and controversial, outlining policy implications and the impact on global trade This book is an incisive analysis of Japan's deepening economic presence in Asia. A challenge to neoclassical economists who argue that Japanese investment in Asia is based on 'comparative advantage' and is thus beneficial to all parties, it contends that such investment is based on the strategic deployment of technology. The authors emphasize that Japan is not, as some have alleged, creating a 'yen bloc' in Asia. Instead, they argue that Japanese business and government elites are working together to build an expanded - and potentially exclusive - production zone which is an extension of their domestic base. Japan has a growing presence throughout the Asian region, and Walter Hatch and Kozo Yamamura find that many standard Japanese business practices have been transplanted. Central to this argument is the concept of cooperation between industry and government, labor and management, and even independent firms belonging to the same keiretsu (enterprise group). This cooperation allows a complex web of quasi-integrated vertical production networks to develop. The book shows that such strategic control of technology is a unique model of globalization. The authors recommend ways in which damaging 'trade wars' between Japan and the West can be avoided, making this book essential reading for businesspeople, policymakers, academics, and students.

This book is an incisive analysis of Japan's deepening economic presence in Asia. The authors argue that Japanese business and government elites are working together to build an expanded—and potentially exclusive—production zone. They show how a complex web of production networks develop and that such strategic control of technology is a unique model of globalization. Asia in Japan's Embrace is highly accessible, up to date, comprehensive and controversial, outlining the policy implications of the Japan-Asia alliance and its impact on global trade.