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In Asia's Flying Geese, Walter F. Hatch tackles the puzzle of Japan's paradoxically slow change during the economic crisis it faced in the 1990s. Why didn't the purportedly unstoppable pressures of globalization force a rapid and radical shift in Japan's business model? In a book with lessons for the larger debate about globalization and its impact on national economies, Hatch shows how Japanese political and economic elites delayed—but could not in the end forestall—the transformation of their distinctive brand of capitalism by trying to extend it to the rest of Asia.For most of the 1990s, the region grew rapidly as an increasingly integrated but hierarchical group of economies. Japanese diplomats and economists came to call them "flying geese." The "lead goose" or most developed economy, Japan, supplied the capital, technology, and even developmental norms to second-tier "geese" such as Singapore and South Korea, which themselves traded with Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines, and so on down the V-shaped line to Indonesia and coastal China. Japan's model of capitalism, which Hatch calls "relationalism," was thus fortified, even as it became increasingly outdated. Japanese elites enjoyed enormous benefits from their leadership in the region as long as the flock found ready markets for their products in the West.The decade following the collapse of Japan's real estate and stock markets would, however, see two developments that ultimately eroded the country's economic dominance. The Asian economic crisis in the late 1990s destabilized many of the surrounding economies upon which Japan had in some measure depended, and the People's Republic of China gained new prominence on the global scene as an economic dynamo. These changes, Hatch concludes, have forced real transformation in Japan's corporate governance, its domestic politics, and in its ongoing relations with its neighbors.

Japanese Business Culture and Practices presents detailed insights and descriptions on the proper ways to conduct business with contemporary Japanese. It focuses on the traditional and nontraditional business-related practices, including the internal mechanisms of promotion and decision-making in Japanese corporations. From advice on how to avoid cultural misunderstandings and how to develop trust with Japanese colleagues, readers will gain insights on how to communicate, negotiate, entertain, and socialize with Japanese as well as the minutiae of correct behavior. Using linguistic examples to facilitate how Japanese themselves view their work environment, authors Isao Takei and Jon P. Alston describe the social etiquette and protocols Japanese expect all foreigners to adopt in order to successfully conduct business. With a glossary of terms and practical real-life experiences, this is an essential guide for anyone who wants to forge deeper business relationships with Japanese.

From New York Times bestselling author Eric Lustbader, the suspense mastermind behind the smash bestsellers featuring Robert Ludlum’s™ Jason Bourne, comes a blockbuster thriller of one man’s debt of honor—and his ultimate destiny. Years ago, Nicholas Linnear, a.k.a. “the Ninja,” made a promise to his father: If a man named Mikio Okami ever sought his help, he would respond without question, no matter the cost. Now the time has come to fulfill his pledge. Okami is the Kaisho—the boss of bosses of the Yakuza, the Japanese underworld—and in his Venice headquarters, he realizes that he has been marked for death. But the identity of the assassin and the inexorable compulsion that drives him are shrouded in mysticism and madness. Honor bound to protect Okami, Linnear is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice: a descent into a chasm of knowledge so potent, of dangers so unfathomable, that even if he survives, he will emerge changed forever.

There have been fundamental changes in renumeration practices in the UK over the last quarter century, with a substantial decline in collective bargaining as the major method of pay determination and the growth of more individualistic systems based on employee performance, skills or competency. This new text, which includes chapters by major UK academics and consultants who are specialists in the reward management field, is the first to adopt a critical and theoretical approach to these changes in reward systems. It covers the Institute of Personnel and Development's reward syllabus but, unlike other reward books, takes a thematic and theoretical approach to the material.

In the first, 1987, edition of this book, Dr. Higashi and Dr. Lauter have discussed and analyzed the initial stages of the internationalization process The authors with Michio Watanabe at a reception in Hakone, Japan, 1988. xvi THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF THE JAPANESE ECONOMY of the Japanese economy as it had evolved between 1985 and 1986. In this, the second, edition, they explore the developments during 1985-1988 and show how the gradual transformation of the economy from export-Ied to domestic demand-Ied growth has taken place, what the results of the trans formation process are, what remaining problems still have to be resolved, and what directions the Japanese economy might take in the future. While the transformation process is by no means completed, Drs. Higashi and Lauter provide a broad, policy-analysis based overview that enables the reader to understand not only the economic but also the basic political and social issues involved in the internationalization process. In this sense, the authors stay away from the extreme positions that characterize so many of the publications on Japan today and attempt to provide a realistic view of the changes and the impact of these changes. I believe that this book is a fair and balanced representation of events.

Japanese: A Comprehensive Grammar is a thorough reference guide to modern Japanese grammar. With its detailed treatment of all grammatical structures, it explores the complexities of the language fully, concentrating on the real patterns of use in contemporary Japanese as spoken and written by native speakers. This edition has been fully updated throughout, incorporating a new structure now organised by topic and providing specific attention to areas of particular difficulty. Examples have been updated throughout to reflect current usage and a glossary of linguistic terms has been added. Features include: Clear grammar points put into context using examples from a range of Japanese media Inclusive coverage of both colloquial and standard Japanese Extensive cross-referencing in all parts of the book A detailed index of Japanese and English terms Written by experts in this field, Japanese: A Comprehensive Grammar will be an essential reference source for the learner and user of Japanese at all levels.

Die Arbeitswelten in Japan bilden ein weites und zugleich differenziertes Feld, das nicht nur aus einer Perspektive und Disziplin erschlossen werden sollte. Heute gibt es wohl kaum einen Bereich der japanischen Gesellschaft, über den so viele abenteuerliche, verklärte und häufig überzogene Ansichten, falsche Dokumentationen und populärwissenschaftliche Schlussfolgerungen im Umlauf sind, wie über das Phänomen Arbeit in Japan. Ausgangspunkt für den vorliegenden Band 18 der Reihe „Japanstudien" des Deutschen Instituts für Japanstudien war daher ein weites Begriffsverständnis von Arbeit, das sowohl Erwerbsarbeit als auch die Vielfalt unentgeltlicher Arbeitsformen einschließt. Kreative und künstlerische Ausdrucksformen von Arbeit zählten bewusst zum Themenkomplex „Japanische Arbeitswelten". Das Anliegen dieses Bandes war es, die Entwicklung und die Veränderung von Arbeitswelten in Japan aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven und Disziplinen heraus zu untersuchen.