From the back cover: Richard Wright's study chronicles and analyses the Japanese business presence in Canada. It reveals several distinguishing characteristics of Japanese investment, which should help allay some traditional Canadian concerns about foreign investment. Japanese investment is small in proportion to the total volume of Canada-Japan trade. Moreover, unlike other traditional foreign investors, who generally seek to gain direct control of affiliated companies in Canada, Japanese investors aim primarily to secure reliable flows of raw materials. Because the Japanese emphasis is on trade rather than on investment flows, a high proportion of Japanese investment is in the form of loans rather than equity, and the Japanese often take minority holdings or enter into joint ventures. The role of Japanese investment is thus a very different one from that which has been a source of concern about foreign ownership in Canada.

Contents: 1 Canada and Japan Today 2 Canada and Japan to the 1930s 3 Canada and Japan During World War II 4 Canada-Japan Relations After World War II 5 The Changing Face of Canadian and Japanese Societies 6 Canadian and Japanese Business Cultures 7 The Evolution of Canada-Japan Trade 8 Canada-Japan Investment 9 The Future of the Canada-Japan Business Relationship 10 Approaching the 21st Century

Japan has few natural resources, but its economy is the second largest in the world. This book examines business practices and government policies which have contributed to the phenomenal growth of the Japanese economy since the early 1960s.

As Japan comes to grips with a decade of economic malaise after its spectacular post-war growth record, how will Japanese society react? Contributors to this volume examine the challenges ahead for Japan in the fields of politics, economics, sociology, environment and business. This multidisciplinary inquiry looks for areas of continuity and for new directions in government, business and social policy and practice. Also examined is how Western students should approach the study of Japan; what new directions should institutions take to ensure that students learn about the `real' Japan? Written by Canadian academics, the articles in this volume will be of interest to academics and policy-makers studying or teaching about contemporary Japan.

After two decades of reinvention, Japanese companies are re-emerging as major players in the new digital economy. They have responded to the rise of China and new global competition by moving upstream into critical deep-tech inputs and advanced materials and components. This new "aggregate niche strategy" has made Japan the technology anchor for many global supply chains. Although the end products do not carry a "Japan Inside" label, Japan plays a pivotal role in our everyday lives across many critical industries. This book is an in-depth exploration of current Japanese business strategies that make Japan the world's third-largest economy and an economic leader in Asia. To accomplish their reinvention, Japan's largest companies are building new processes of breakthrough innovation. Central to this book is how they are addressing the necessary changes in organizational design, internal management processes, employment, and corporate governance. Because Japan values social stability and economic equality, this reinvention is happening slowly and methodically, and has gone largely unnoticed by Western observers. Yet, Japan's more balanced model of "caring capitalism" is both competitive and transformative, and more socially responsible than the unbridled growth approach of the United States.

This directory offers you all the necessary information on nearly 5,200 Japanese-affiliated companies. A CD-ROM of the "Directory is also included.