Entering the Japanese market - A reassessment of foreign firms' entry cmd distribution strategies

Business executives outside of Japan have complained for decades that Japan 's distribution system is essentially closed and does not permit easy acces s. The Japanese government and Japanese business executives, in turn, highl ight the continuous introduction of distribution opening measures in their efforts to appease foreign critics. Globalization has made major inroads in distribution activities of firms, and the burst of Japan's bubble economy and the subsequent Asian crisis have brought major changes to the business environment. In follow-up to a 1991 meeting, in 1998 we reconvened the lend ing distribution thinkers and doers in the policy, business, and research c ommunities from 12 countries. In this meeting, 70 participants with a high level of distribution expertise, held, for three days, discussions that foc used on the complexity of distribution and trade practices, on impending ch anges and on future opportunities. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All right s reserved.