The dimensions of the Japanese economic miracle are now widely known, but we have scarcely begun to understand its lessons. Japanese successes are commonly traced to homogeneity, cultural borrowing, hard work, skillful company management, and government protectionism. All these elements help explain Japanese success; but after some years of studying the Japanese business community, I am persuaded that their success also stems from a web of relationships among business, government, and quasi-government organizations much more complex than is suggested by the pejorative and simplistic term “Japan, Inc.” that we often hear today.
A version of this article appeared in the May 1978 issue of Harvard Business Review.
