ABSTRACT
This article has two main components. The first section charts the emergence of Japanese and (subsequently) other East Asian countries as major sources of FDI on a global scale. It outlines the timing, characteristics and spatial pattern of these FDI flows, especially as they relate to Europe and the UK, which is a primary host economy for such investment. The second element analyses the development and character of the East Asian investment flows into the North of England. It assesses the contribution of these flows to overall job generation in the region, alongside that in other peripheral UK regions, which compete with the North to attract inward investment. The article ends by considering implications for the region's foreign-owned sector arising out of the current crisis affecting Asia.
