This collection offers a reference work to all those interested in the contemporary development of one of the world's largest and most influential economies. The set addresses key issues for the Japanese economy in the post-war decades, including: the relationship between capital market transformation and economic growth; labour markets and the increasing demands for structural change; current industrial policy, in the late 1990s, and it's relationship to governance; and macroeconomic conditions and their effect on microeconomic policies. The articles reprinted here explore many of Japan's factor markets, as well as the public policies that have affected their operation. They also examine the role of capital and labour markets in determining the trajectory of economic growth. They conclude that the institutions and policies determining this growth will have to either adapt or increasingly lose their efficiency and relevance.

This set of four volumes collects the major English language contributions to the theories of the structure and performance of the Japanese economy in the 20th century. It covers a wide range of topics: Volume I covers Japan before the Pacific War; Volume Two covers post-war growth; Volume Three covers trading with Japan; Volume Four explores the nature of the Japanese firm. The set gives the reader access to the most important debates about the contours of the modern Japanese economy and their evolution. Many of the articles in the set should also be accessible to non-economists, especially to political scientists.