JAPAN: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STUDY

Japan is an Asian island nation whose 127 million inhabitants (as of July 2001) occupy four major islands and a number of smaller islands (CIA, 2001). As a political entity, the country dates back to about 500 B.C. (Hunter, 2001).

The Japanese population is remarkably homogeneous in an ethnic context. Ethnic Japanese account for 99.5 percent of the country's citizens, while most of the remaining one-half of one-percent are ethnic Koreans. Approximately 885 thousand foreigners reside in Japan, while approximately 498 thousand Japanese citizens reside outside of the country. Adjusting for these residence patterns still leaves the resident population of Japan 98.4 percent ethnically Japanese. Japan is also highly unified in a religious context (Hunter, 2001).

Although Japan has no official state religion, approximately 108 million Japanese are adherents of Shintoism. Thus, approximately 85 percent of the Japanese population share the same religious orientation. Buddhism is not incompatible with Shintoism, and approximately 93 million Japanese practice Buddhism (Hunter, 2001). Obviously, a signif

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ater emphasis on domestic production) and import (lesser emphasis on domestic production) trade of Japan, as indicated below: Major Export Products Motor Vehicles Semiconductors Office Machinery Chemicals Consumer Electronics Major Import Products Fuels Foods Chemical Specialties Textiles Building Materials Foreign Investment Climate The government of Japan officially supports foreign direct investment (FDI) into Japan. This official support is accompanied by official justifications that are consistent with accepted economic theory related to FDI, such as: (1) inward FDI is essential to reactivate Japan's economy; (2) inward FDI will expand business opportunities in Japan; and (3) inward FDI will stimulate growth in the domestic economy. This statement was formalized in 1995 by the Japan Investment Council (2000), which is sponsored jointly by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). In actual fact, however, FDI flowing into Japan through 1999 approximated only ten percent of the level of FDI flowing out of Japan (Japanese External Trade Organization, 2001). There are a number of explanations for the dichotomy between official policy and outcomes related to FDI.
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Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)