Doing Business in Japan
The Land of the Rising Sun once again looks promising to foreign investors. Where are the opportunities and what can you learn from Western managers who have mastered Japanese business culture?
The Japanese economy is the third largest in the world and well over double that of the Canadian economy. Despite its economic significance, Japan has been somewhat ignored by investors over the past 25 years, given that the country has been in a recession for much of that time.
The fact is, though, the Japanese economy is still very significant and has recently been attracting increasing investor attention. Investors have injected massive amounts of money into the Japanese market and companies are flourishing — the Nikkei 225 Stock Index has more than doubled in value over the past five years and is now trading at a 15-year high.
In this paper, Jean-Paul Roy, associate professor and Toller Family Fellow of International Business at Smith School of Business, discusses the opportunities for foreign investors and the key practices of successful managers working in Japan.