Few economic tools have attracted as much attention as industrial policy and "targeting," wielded most effectively by Japan to accelerate its economic rise. This book considers who targeted industries, how they were chosen and what techniques were used to support them.It also delves into the intriguing question of who ran the show: bureaucrats or businessmen?More than theory, it is essential to examine the practice of targeting. This is done generally and more specifically, with case studies of crucial exercises for steel, shipbuilding, computers, semiconductors, machine tools and many others. Even more interesting are sectors which are being targeted now: robotics, aerospace, artificial intelligence, and so on.While most targeting exercises were successful, some were failures and certain broader problems arose. They are less well known but merit careful attention. So does the impact of Japanese targeting on other countries, especially those whose domestic industries suffered or who wish to adopt certain targeting techniques to strengthen their own economies.

Japanese Targeting: Successes, Failures, Lessons

Business & Money

jon-woronoff

Management & Leadership

PALGRAVE~MACMILLAN

Political scandals, governmental instability and the poison-gas attack in central Tokyo show that Japan is passing through a serious social crisis. It affects virtually every social unit: family, school, company, political parties, religions and the nation. And it worries every segment of the population, young and old, men and women, management and labour, the elite and the plebe. Among other things, workers are growing dissatisfied with company life, families are undermined by discord and divorce, even the ruling Liberal Democratic Party collapsed (as did many of its opponents). The Japanese are ever harder to lead and the politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen who once led them are increasingly ineffective. Thus, while many reforms are mooted, and some are initiated, very few are actually implemented. Under these conditions, the many negative trends cannot be halted - let alone reversed - and the crisis should worsen.

The Japanese Social Crisis

Politics & Social Sciences

Anthropology

Economics

Japanese Social Crisis

Social Sciences

'Japan as -anything but - Number One should be everybody's number two book to read about Japan. After almost any introduction that lays out the claims made for Japan's truly unusual economy and society, the next step forward should be to read an informed critical text, to set a contrast in the mind. No book achieves this more concisely, more acurately and more succinctly than Japan as - anything but - Number One.' - James Y. Bourlet, Professor of Japanese Management, London Guildhall University Is Japan No 1? Well, maybe it is if you only consider those sectors where it has been particularly successful. But not if you add many others where its performance was mediocre or worse. Is Japan No 1? Well, maybe it is if you ask the foreign 'friends' who have made a career (and sometimes a fortune) as apologists of Japanese causes. But, if you ask the Japanese themselves, you will find that they are anything but satisfied. Is Japan No 1? Well, maybe it is if you are taken in by the tatemae, i.e. the official version or how its admirers like to picture it. But it does not look so great once you perceive the honne, i.e. the realities of life in Japan. Is Japan No 1? Well, maybe it is if you take what is best in Japan and contrast it to what is less good in foreign countries. But it does not compare so well if you mix the good with the bad in both places. No, the author does not think that Japan is a horrible place or that its leaders have made a complete mess of things. But, if you look closely, it is certainly not the extraordinary success it is frequently claimed to be. It is closer to the mean, with many serious problems that will only get worse if people foolishly assume it is No 1.

Japan As-Anything But-Number One

The book is full of references and figures, enough to convince almost everyone that the myth of the supreme efficiency and devotion of the Japanese worker is no more than a myth. The Japanese reader will learn as much from this as the foreign reader. -- Daily Yomiuri

Japan's Wasted Workers

Lotus-Press

Japan As Anything But Number One

Yohan Publications

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