In spite of all of the rhetoric, the American trade deficit with Japan remains in excess of $50 billion per year (Neff, Magnusson, and Holstein 44-52). Increasing trade with Japan is important to the United States in the context of its international trade imbalance, and it is important to individual firms because Japan represents a major, affluent market in which American firms, on the whole, have achieved but limited success (Enright 2-5).
The purpose of this research is to examine the process of marketing an American made product in Japan. In this research, the firm which is the focus of study is the Coca Cola Company.
The company's operations are considered within the context of the marketing of its soft drink beverages in Japan. Any firm desiring to be successful in the marketing of its products in another country must become aware of the characteristics which define that country. It is not enough just to know what these characteristics are. It is also necessary to know how those characteristics differ from those of its home country, and how these differences will affect the marketing of its products. This type of comparison between Japan and the United States is presented in the following section, which is followed by an examination of the marketing environment in Japan, within which Coca Cola must be prepared to compete.
JAPAN & THE UNITED STATES: COMPARISON OF CHARACTERISTICS
Comparisons between Japan and the United States are made in the contexts of socio-cultural characteristics, political legal structures, technological development, and economic characteristics. Each of these sets of factors is discussed separately, although they are, obviously, interrelated.
Japan's total geographical area (147,470 square miles) approximates the size of the State of California (Paxton 785). Less than 14.5 percent (21,135 square miles) of the country's total geographical area, however, is suitable for purposes of...