Distribution in Japan [Hardcover]

Several years have passed since the 'store wars' over barriers to foreign products at Japanese distribution firms. Yet among English-speaking readers, how these firms operate remains a puzzle. In this book, the best Japanese scholars in their fields attempt to unravel that puzzle. Avoiding culture-based explanations, they employ a systematic and rigorous economic logic---yet, since they also avoid mathematical notation, the argument remains accessible to generalist readers.

1. Japanese Distribution: Background, Issues, Examples,Yoshiro MIWA and J. Mark RAMSEYER
2. The Evolution of the Japanese Distribution Structure: An International and Institutional Perspective,Kiyohiko G. NISHIMURA, Towa TACHIBANA, and Hiroshi TSUBOUCHI
3. Apparel Distribution: Inter-firm Contracting and Intra-firm Organization,Yoshiro MIWA and J. Mark RAMSEYER
4. The Distribution of Household Appliances: A Keiretsu Distribution System,Hiroshi NIIDA
5. Distribution of Imported Products: The Case of Automobiles,Ryuhei WAKASUGI
6. The Large-Scale Retail Stores Act and its 'Erosion' in the 1970s--1980s,Toshimasa TSURUTA and Toshiyuki YAHAGI
7. Agricultural Cooperatives in Distribution,Naomi SAEKI and Masamitsu YASAKA
8. Information Technology in Distribution: Daily Necessities and Processed Foods,Yoshiro MIWA
9. Conclusions: Implications for International Trade,Yoshiro MIWA, Kiyohiko G. NISHIMURA, and J. Mark RAMSEYER