The U.S.-Japan Trade Friction - the 1980s and the early 1990s

This concise book on the U.S.-Japan trade friction in the 1980s and the early 1990s focuses on the points of view of the so-called “Japan bashers” to see where the controversies of their points of view rose. In his writing, the author attempts to prove as the main cause of the controversy the inability of the Japan bashers to discern adequately that the differences in their economic practices between the two nations primarily stemmed from the contrasts in the culture of each nation. Starting from the description of the cultural traits of each nation, the book deals with the various aspects of the U.S.- Japan trade relation: each of the controversial trade practices such as notorious Keiretsu or Japanese distribution system; the differences in the role of the bureaucracy of each nation in terms of economic development; the examination of the truth in the Japan bashers’ claim of Japan as a protectionist; the myth of free trade; and the prospects of each nation in their trade relationship in the 21st Century. Although concise, the book well portrays the focal points of this volatile issue in the U.S.-Japanese trade relation.