ABSTRACT
The analysis of recent Japanese economic policies would suggest that Japan was in the process of readjusting its position within the liberal trading system with particular concern to contribute to system stability. Depending on how American and Soviet relations developed in the future, this could be an undesirable state of affairs from the American point of view. The system of joint leader and supporter was also not visualized as having a formal institutional framework and required only that the interests of the supporter not be totally ignored within the system. This was instrumental in securing the support of organized labour for the Trade Expansion Act, but the actual implementation of TAA was disappointing and succeeded only in antagonizing labour interests.
