The explosive growth of the Japanese electronics industry continues to be driven by a combination of market forces and the unique characteristics of the Japanese social organization and people. As an industrial phenomenon, the Japanese electronics industry receives considerable attention from researchers in various fields. However, most of their studies focus on either historical analyses intent on discovering the secret of the industry's enormous success, or on the issue of America's competitiveness in the face of challenges from Japanese technology. Moreover, none of these studies can be free of the bias that stems from each researcher's own upbringing and environment.The authors of The Japanese Electronics Industry have pooled their diverse experience and talents to create a balanced, objective study of this complex subject. They illuminate the history and characteristics of the industry, show the current state of the industry, and explore the research, development, and education vital to the future of the industry.

Japan OverviewLand, ResourcesClimatePopulation and Ethic GroupsLanguageReligionEducationGovernment StructureModern HistoryEconomic OverviewPhilosophy of Economic PolicyCurrent Economic ConditionsForeign TradePublic Spending and RestructuringProgram To Stimulate Foreign Iports into JapanOpenness for Trade and InvestmentOutward Expansion of Offshore FacilitiesWTO Requirements to Deregulate the Financial Services IndustryU.S. - Japan RelationsHistory of the Japanese Electonics IndustryBasics for Growth after World War IIEntrepreneurial Thrusts in Consumer ElectronicsThe Government and Large CompaniesTrade FrictionSynopsis of History to the End of the 1980sThe Japanese Electronics Industry TodayMaturity of the Japanese Electronics MarketJapan's Electronic Market PositionThe Micro-Electronics Industry StructureMiniaturization of Electronic ProductsOverall LandscapePackaging Portable Computers--An Example for Toshiba LibrettoMetrics for Future Electonics ProductsScenarios for the FutureResearch, Development, and EducationMacro-scale PerspectivesDynamics of Technology DevelopmentInvestments in the Electronics IndustryNational Research Institutes and Cooperative ResearchUniversity Research and EducationA Vision of MiniturizationEpilogueReferencesIndex