ABSTRACT
Japan has powerful national ministries such as the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Finance, as well as an experienced diplomatic corps. The rising role of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic party in some, although by no means all, aspects of Japanese policymaking also complicates emergence of a decisive Japanese global role. The domestic constraints on a Japanese coordinating role in the global economy appear most clearly with respect to international trade. Japanese political leadership will be under strong domestic pressure to avoid the hegemonic role of importer of last resort, especially with regard to labor-intensive Third World manufactures that compete with Japanese small business. Within a multilateral framework, any prospective Japanese leadership role in international economic affairs will likely be technical and sector-specific rather than broadly political. Individual politicians have mediated major trans-Pacific investment projects and significantly encouraged the increasing activism of US state governments in trans-Pacific relations.
