Strategic Economy In Japan

by Thomas M Huber

Overview

This innovative work demystifies the Japanese economy by considering it as a strategic system. Showing how the Japanese “miracle" is actively planned, directed, and implemented by a constellation of institutions, government policymakers, and big business, Huber argues that Japan, Inc., can best be compared to a modern military system rather than exclusively to a free-market economy. The author highlights particularly the similarity between Japan’s strategic economy and some of the structures and policy dynamics of the U.S. military and shows how Japans economic strategies have the capability of adversely affecting its trading partners.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367304317
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/31/2021
Pages:	173
Product dimensions:	18.88(w) x 24.62(h) x (d)

About the Author

Thomas M. Huber is an institutional historian and Japan specialist on the history faculty of the Army graduate school in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas (U.S. Army Command and General Staff College). He received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago and has served as a visiting assistant professor in the history departments of Stanford University, the University of California-Berkeley, and other major universities. His earlier publications include The Revolutionary Origins of Modern Japan (1981).

Table of Contents

Introduction — Domestic Strategy — MITI: Prospero’s World — Neo-Zaibatsu and Cartels: Coordination and Competition — Banks and Policy Companies: Market Conformity — Strategic Corporations: Public Production — International Strategy — Global Presence: Structures of Implementation — Strategic Objectives: Tending the Gate and Operations Abroad — Conclusion — Strategic Economy: Schumpeter, Napoleon, and Others

Editorial Reviews

Huber, a historian and Japan specialist, undertakes the old problem of dissecting the Japanese economy to see how it ticks. His premise is that the Japanese economy can be compared to the U.S. military: both have a command structure, are meritocracies rather than democracies, and are composed of several levels through which national goals trickle down. There is nothing groundbreaking here; we know from a multitude of previous ``Japan, Inc.''-type books that Japan's economy is much more structured than the U.S. free market. However, this is still a good book. It presents a clear, solid premise that can be followed throughout and explains the Japanese economy in a way that will be appreciated by lay readers and scholars alike. Recommended for business collections.-Kris Swank, American Graduate Sch. of International Management Lib., Glendale, Ariz.

Library Journal

Huber, a historian for the US Army, seeks to understand the Japanese economy by comparing it to western military organizations, tracking national policy down the levels as orders are handed down from generals to privates. Within this framework he shows how strategic coordination is achieved with very little direct government intervention, and explains that the domestic and international goals of the Japanese economy are similar to those of a military. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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