At the start of the 1990s Japan's post war economic success came to an abrupt end, and the country slid into a decade long recession from which it has, on many levels, still not recovered. This book examines the institutional factors in the Japanese system of government administration that have paralyzed the decision-making process and prevented the system from accommodating the ever changing demands on the domestic front and the global political economy. It argues that the current model defies structural reform and frustrates the implementation of economic and social policies that can resolve the problems that have challenged the Japanese for years.
 

Excerpts from interviews conducted with Japanese bureaucrats reveal how their government views the United States, Japan's protector in the Pacific and its second-largest trading partner. The interviews are particularly relevant to the economic dilemma that the Japanese are facing currently due to Japan's dependency on the United States. They also provide an invaluable insight into why Japan has yet to integrate into the international community.

Foreword
Acknowledgements
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Why Japan Can't Reform: inside the system
PART I: THE SYSTEM
Introduction
The Development of the System
The Elite Bureaucracy: the image of reform
Amakudari: the ties that binds the bureaucracy with the private and public
sectors and politics
Interpersonal Networks in the 'Ruling Triad'
PART II INSIDE THE SYSTEM
The Elite Bureaucracy: prisoners of the system
The Interviews
Conclusion
Bibliography

SUSAN CARPENTER is a lecturer in International Business and Director of MSc in International Business and Emerging Markets at the University of Edinburgh Business School. She has worked for Japanese businesses and government-supported organizations in Japan and the U.S.A. She published Special Corporations and the Bureaucracy in 2003.