Conclusion

Abstract

The prolonged recession that followed the bursting of the financial bubble in 1990 has prompted many aspects of the Japanese business and economic system to change. What kinds of change are likely to contribute to Japan’s long-term economic growth? The discussions presented in this book provide some thoughts on this. Here we shall consider the labour market, technology and corporate governance issues in turn. US-Japanese trade negotiations and government-business relations in Japan are intertwined with many of these issues, including the handling of intellectual property rights, both foreign and domestic; the handling of anticompetitive practices; and protection of the properly rights of US shareholders in Japanese firms. Japan’s new initiatives could trigger substantial changes in current Japanese business and economic practices.