Commercial Influence upon Far Eastern Policy, 1937-1941

Abstract

This study of direct investment in Japan from the United States draws on historical materials from both sides of the Pacific, including corporate records and government documents never before made public. Mark Mason examines the development of Japanese policy toward foreign investment and the strategic responses of American corporations. This history comes alive through original case studies of Coca-Cola, Dow Chemical, Ford, General Motors, International Business Machines, Motorola, Otis Elavator, Texas Instruments, Western Electric, and Victor Talking Machine. Mason seeks to explain why so little foreign direct investment has entered modern Japan. Challenging the widely held view that highlights lack of effort on the part of foreign corporations, this study emphasizes Japanese restrictions. Many analysts of the modern Japanese political economy identify the Japanese government as the key actor in initiating such restrictions. Mason, however, finds that Japanese business has often proved more influential than these analysts suggest. This book offers fresh insights into the operation of the modern Japanese political economy and of its relations with the world economy. It should interest academic specialists, business mangers, and government policymakers in America, Japan, and elsewhere.

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