Making Common Sense of Japan (Pitt Series in Policy and Institutional Studies) - Hardcover

Reed, Steven

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0822937573 ISBN 13: 9780822937579

Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1993

Synopsis

Common misconceptions about Japan begin with the notion that it is a \u201csmall\u201d country (it's actually lager than Great Britain, Germany or Italy) and end with pronouncements that the Japanese think differently and have different values-they do things differently because that's the way they are. Steven Reed takes on the task of demystifying Japanese culture and behavior. Through examples that are familiar to an American audience and his own personal encounters with the Japanese, he argues that the apparent oddity of Japanese behavior flows quite naturally from certain objective conditions that are different from those in the United States. Mystical allegations about national character are less useful for understanding a foreign culture than a close look at specific situations and conditions. Two aspects of the Japanese economy have particularly baffled Americans: that Japanese workers have \u201cpermanent employment\u201d and that the Japanese government cooperates with big business. Reed explains these phenomena in common sense terms. He shows how they developed historically, why they continue, and why they helped produce economic growth. He concludes that these practices are not as different from what happens in the United States as they may appear.

About this title

About the Author

Steven R. Reed is on the faculty of policy studies at Chuo University, Hachioji City, Tokyo, Japan.

Reviews

During the 1980s, there was a tendency to elevate the Japanese economy and managerial style to role model status in works like Richard Pascale's The Art of Japanese Management ( LJ 8/81) and William Ouchi's Theory Z ( LJ 5/1/81). During the 1990s, Japanese "bashing" became the fashion, perhaps best represented by Michael Crichton's fictional Rising Sun (Knopf, 1992). Reed's book represents a much-needed middle ground. Using the methods of comparative political systems, the author carefuly develops the theme of "culture as common sense." Citing Japanese practices like business-government cooperation and "permanent employment" as examples, Reed contends that the Japanese economic model is neither as inscrutable nor as replicable as many have postulated. He concludes that the Japanese have very likely developed, partly due to pure external circumstance, a relatively more efficient form of capitalism than that practiced in the United States. Recommended especially for international economic collections.
- Gene R. Laczniak, Marquette Univ., Milwaukee
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0822937573
• ISBN 13: 9780822937579
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 200