ABSTRACT

ONE of the outstanding changes brought about by the Second World War was, beyond question, the transformation in the position of Western States and their nationals in Asia, especially in southern and eastern Asia. This had important effects on the factors hitherto responsible for the material development of that region and gave rise to novel economic situations and problems. On grounds both of practical importance and intellectual interest, therefore, it seemed to us, a few years ago, that it would be timely to undertake an examination and appraisal of the part played by Western enterprise in the economic development of the Far East. This was an ambitious project, and we could not hope, with our limited resources, to conduct a comprehensive survey. So, at the outset, we decided to restrict the scope of our inquiries to four countries, viz. China, Japan, Indonesia and Malaya. The results of the first part of our research were published in January 1954 under the title of Western Enterprise in Far Eastern Economic Development: China and Japan. With the publication of the present study of Western Enterprise in Indonesia and Malaya our original project is completed.