The Effect of Japanese Investment on the World Economy: A Six-Country Study 1970-1991

Japanese foreign direct investment generated new opportunities and benefits but also created new problems for the recipient countries. This volume examines the countries that received nearly three-fifths of all Japanese foreign direct investment between 1980 and 1990 and asks the following questions. Why did Japanese foreign direct investment increase so dramatically between 1970 and 1991? What are some of the significant patterns that Japanese foreign direct investment have on the host countries? Focusing on six major destination countries-the United States, Great Britain, Mexico, Australia, the Republic of China, and Thailand-the essays in this volume explore the benefits and problems Japanese foreign direct investment has created, particularly in terms of recipient countries’ employment, foreign trade, acquisition of new technology and management skills, economic output, resource development, and public opinion.