Introduction

Virtually all of those who have tried to get into the Japanese market have found it extremely difficult to enter. Foreign complaints about dealing with a nation that was a prolific exporter but was reluctant to import had slow and limited effect. The most active change emerged in the 1990s as the recession-battered economy struggled to regain its footing. Trade barriers had always existed to guard against the risk of destabilizing a steadily growing economy. Accordingly, the pinch of an economy showing the wounds of recession gave support to calls for deregulation and internationalization, weakening the case of those who preferred to ‘play it safe’. Amid some turbulence, the pace of change began to quicken.