ABSTRACT
American policy on Japan, especially during Asia’s eco-
nomic crisis, is based on five assumptions that have be-
come articles of faith for most American policymakers,
Japan scholars, and even a good many business execu-
tives. But all of them are either plain wrong or, at best,
highly dubious:
1. The government bureaucracy’s dominance is
assumed to be unique to Japan, like its near mo-
nopoly on policymaking and its control of business
and the economy through “administrative guidance.”
