ABSTRACT
Some 400 German firms took part in the 1984 German trade exhibition. In all, just under 400 German firms are probably actively trading in Japan. The services sector accounts for 18 enterprises, the transport and communications sector for 10. Up to the end of 1986, German firms had invested a total of DM 1348 million in Japan, which is admittedly less than 1% of total German direct investment in industrial countries. Examples of German branded goods manufacturers who currently hold substantial market shares in Japan are Triumph, Melitta-Werke, Beiersdorf AG and Mont Blanc. According to enquiries by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce on 1 May 1986 in Japan there were 388 enterprises in which a substantial proportion of the equity was in German hands, plus a further 13 branches and 37 other offices of German undertakings with their own staff.
