Japan's Economic Success

The effort to understand and explain Japan(s remarkable economic success has spawned countless theories focusing on Japanese industrial relations, politics, culture, and any number of other characteristics of Japanese society. Early theories often emphasized government intervention in the economy. Japanese success was attributed to brilliant industrial and trade policy involving strong government intervention. These theories claimed that Japan(s powerful Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) attracted Japan(s (best and brightest( and that the bureaucracy further ensured the development and international competitiveness of entire industrial sectors through administrative guidance. Other scholars of Japan focused on company level management practices(quality control circles, just-in-time delivery and labor-management cooperation. Still others claim that the key to japan(s economic success can be found in its cultural commitment to education and corporate training.

It is the contention of this research that all of these factors have contributed to Japan(s robust economic development, but that each theory is better understood when subsumed under the concept of (paternalism.( The theory of paternalism is often offered in a limited sense as a model of worker-management relations that is another contributing factor to Japan(s economic growth. Paternalism, however, should be viewed in a broader sense as a unique cultural phenomenon that guides not only worker-managemen

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labor boss system from the broader cultural system of oyabun-kobun relationships that the term (paternalism( is herein used to describe the latter. As a broad cultural concept, paternalism in the Japanese economy remains the key to business growth and success. Although many factors can be identified as contributing to robust economic health, most of these factors are directly or indirectly associated with Japan(s propensity of employers and employees to work together in a mutually supportive pact. The turnaround of Mazda Motors is just one example of how a paternalistic business culture serves as the backbone to a variety of bold business practices, ranging from the inter-corporate cooperation, the role of the government, and the commitment of employees in making a business successful. The Mazda Miracle In the mid-1970s, Toyo Kogyo, the manufacturer of Mazda automobiles, was very near filing bankruptcy. Shortly following the Arab oil embargo, the automobile industry giant declared a $70 million annual loss with poor prospects for the future. The industry had recently accepted labor demands for a 30% increase in nominal wages just as demand for automobiles plunged 22%. Mazda was hit harder than its competitors because of a heav

Category: Foreign - J