• GDP: US$4.6 trillion (2005).
• Main exports: Transport equipment, motor vehicles, semi-conductors, electrical machinery and chemicals.
• Main imports: Machinery and equipment, fuel, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles and raw materials.
• Main trade partners: USA, China (PR), Taiwan (China), Korea (Rep), Germany and Hong Kong (SAR).

After suffering massive destruction during WWII, Japan was the economic phenomenon of the late 20th century. At US$4.6 trillion, the country’s GDP ranks second in the world after the USA. This has been achieved through several decades of sustained growth driven by judicious application of import controls and consistently high domestic investment, coupled with an aggressive export drive orchestrated by the powerful Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI).

The structure of the Japanese domestic economy revolves around a group of large multi-product corporations (many of which have since become global household names), linked in loose alliances (known as keiretsu) with banks and finance houses. The corporations are serviced with components and raw materials by a plethora of small firms with low overheads and labour costs, and a well-honed distribution system (many of these lower-level processes are now carried out in the ‘tiger economies’ of the Pacific Basin).

The model worked superbly until the early 1990s, when competition from abroad and excessive lending by the banks began to put the Japanese economy under a set of pressures to which it has proved quite unable to respond. The extent of the problem became apparent initially with the 1991 property crash and, more spectacularly, with the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

In the following years the economy stagnated, often struggling to reach 1% growth annually. Unemployment, a comparative novelty in a country where jobs were typically guaranteed for life, reached 6%. Successive governments made little more than token efforts at structural reform. The financial sector continues to operate much as before. The Koizumi government tabled a set of proposals, which included deregulation and much-needed reform as well as a package designed to kick-start the economy and create 5 million jobs.

The economy is now recovering strongly thanks to booming exports and business investment, plus solid growth in private consumption. In 2005, the economy grew by 2.6%.

Agriculture is the only sector of the economy that does not measure up to Western standards in terms of technology and management, and remains relatively inefficient and heavily protected by the government. (This is a quirk of the Japanese electoral system, which affords a disproportionate number of parliamentary seats to rural areas.) Rice, potatoes, sugar and citrus fruits are the main crops.

The manufacturing industry is still important, particularly vehicles and electronic goods, although traditional industries such as coal mining, shipbuilding and steel are also sizeable and, unlike many of their Western counterparts, profitable. Overall, industry contributes 35% of economic output – a larger proportion than the world’s other leading economies.

The service sector grew rapidly in the 1980s as the economy matured and Japan became a major force in the international economy. The emphasis in Japanese trade thus switched from manufactured goods to export of services and ‘invisibles’, such as finance and insurance.

In the international arena, Japan is a leading member of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum.

A large supply of business cards printed in English and Japanese is essential. Cards can be quickly printed on arrival with Japanese translation on the reverse side. Appointments should be made in advance and, because of the formality, visits should consist of more than a few days. Punctuality is important. Business discussions are often preceded by tea and are usually very formal.

Office hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700. Some offices are open Sat 0900-1200.

Japanese Chamber of Commerce in the UK
Salisbury House, 29 Finsbury Circus, London EC2M 5QQ, UK
Tel: (020) 7628 0069.

Nippon Shoko Kaigi-sho (The Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry)
2-2 Marunouchi 3 Chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005, Japan
Tel: (3) 3283 7824.
Website: www.jcci.or.jp

JETRO (Japan External Trade Organisation)
Ark Mari Building, 6F 12-32, Akasaka 1-Chrome, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 107-6006, Japan
Tel: (3) 3582 5511.
Website: www.jetro.go.jp

Japan Convention Bureau
2-10-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0006, Japan
Tel: (3) 3216 2905.
Website: www.jnto.go.jp

The Japan Convention Bureau is a division of the Japan National Tourist Organisation (see Contact Addresses); its Convention Planner’s Guide to Japan lists 35 cities with conference facilities including Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nagasaki, Osaka, Tokyo and Yokohama. Kyoto has proved to be one of the most popular locations for international meetings over the last few years.