Japan's economy, once the envy of the world, has recently experienced a period of malaise and stagnation. This is due in part to over-regulation and resistance to change within the Japanese bureaucracy. Many argue that this bureaucracy must be replaced with a system similar to that in the United States, involving ruthless competition, fluid job markets unhindered by notions of lifetime employment, tolerance of business failures, and the elevation of conflict over consensus in economic decision making. The author argues that not only will the bureaucracy, in the form of the Ministry of Finance, retain its position, it will also evolve to be more consistent with the transformed economic system allowing the Japanese economy to recover and retain its important role in the global economy.

The book details the history of the Ministry of Finance and Japan's financial markets since World War II. It describes the economic crisis in Asia and Japan's attempts to transform its bureaucracy to better compete in the global arena. Economists, business practitioners, trade specialists, and anyone interested in Japan's role in the world economy will find this lucid and detailed book an invaluable resource.

This book, first published in 1994, takes a broad look at the reasons behind the failure of foreign banks to penetrate Japanese financial markets. It accepts the common argument that the Japanese bureaucracy has skilfully limited the scope of foreign banks and discusses at length the methods used to do so. However, in examining the history of foreign banking activity in Japan, it becomes clear that ineptitude on the part of the foreign banks and governments has also been a major factor.

This book, first published in 1994, takes a broad look at the reasons behind the failure of foreign banks to penetrate Japanese financial markets. It accepts the common argument that the Japanese bureaucracy has skilfully limited the scope of foreign banks and discusses at length the methods used to do so. However, in examining the history of foreign banking activity in Japan, it becomes clear that ineptitude on the part of the foreign banks and governments has also been a major factor.