Competition and cooperation between Japan, Europe and USA isthe key issue of this book - both at government and businesslevels. Both short-term and long-termin competitivecooperation between Western and Japanese firms andinstitutions can be fruitful. Cooperation however, providesno easy solutions to problems which Western economies havebeen unable to solve on their own. Governments as well ascompanies are often unprepared for cooperation with Japanwithin the framework of larger-scale projects. On theotherhand, Japan itself still lacks the leadership capacities tomatch its present economic and technological dominance. Thusthe Japanese strategyfor a Number Two role in cooperationwith the USA and the EC is described. The discussion focuseson the implications of US/Japanese relations for Europe. Itfurther highlights future relations between the US and Japanin the field of technology, and also deals with the EC/Japancontext.

Introduction:.- The Trilateral Concert: Indispensable but not Sufficient.- I: European Perspectives.- The Japanese Challenge to Europe: Ambiguous Relations.- EC 1992 and Japan.- Competing and Cooperating with Japanese Firms.- A European Industrial Perspective.- U.S.-Japan Relations: Implications for Europe.- A Western Critique of Japan's Development Aid.- II: Japanese Perspectives.- Multinational Business as a Partner in Trialogue.- Technology and U.S.-Japan Relations.- Japan and the Money and Capital Markets of Asia.- III: American Perspectives.- The Future of U.S.-Japan Technology Relations.- Japan as Economic Hegemon?.- Japanese Multinationals: An Evolutionary Theory.- America and Japan's Role in the Post-Cold War World.- List of Authors.