ABSTRACT
Consolidation--in the sense of solidifying a position which has been achieved so as to provide the opportunity for national relaxation–has never been a voluntary Japanese goal. There are problems which raise the question of whether the Japanese capitalist developmental state apparatus, while advantageous for a fast growing economy, will be able to deal efficiently with future contingencies. Expectations of economic growth generated by the hi-tech areas follow from the often demonstrated Japanese ability to apply and commercialize state of the art technology to the assembling and processing industries. Many European and American inventions have been transformed into commercially viable products exclusively by Japanese firms. The mechanisms necessary for the rapid industrial expansion in the 1950s and 1960s are largely in place. In the 1950’s a major political decision was made to make industrial expansion the national goal. In its dealings with the outside world the Japanese Capitalist Development State faces probably its biggest future challenge.
