ABSTRACT
In the modern world, no nation, regardless of its level of economic development and its political and economic systems, can hope to develop its economy without concern for the relationship of economic interdependence that ties all nations together to a greater or lesser degree. Even socialist states and those developing countries that have market or mixed economies are no exception, much less so the developed industrial states of Western Europe, North America, and Japan, which adhere to an open economic system. Foreign observers frequently complain that a major obstacle to expanding exports to Japan lies in the complexity and exclusivity of Japanese distribution channels. If the problem is one of short-term adjustments necessitated by import liberalization, a prescription for that can be drawn from the experiences of other industries. Given the present large imbalance in Japan's trade, Japan should take positive steps to liberalize and expand agricultural imports.
