This paper is an attempt to shed light on Japanese business organization from a mentality perspective and thus to explain some characteristic attributes of the organization. "Mentality" provides, the basis for the mode of thought attributable to the nation. The "YAMATO SPIRIT", which is one of such mentalities and which is also the core concept of this thesis, is the Japanese mentality and thus is the basis for Japanese ways of thought and action. The Japanese mentality, in other words, the "YAMATO SPIRIT", is defined as "an effort to attain the identity of one with many through 'Nothingness'". As such, it manifests itself in the business field as well as in other aspects of Japanese life. In fact, this SPIRIT is one of the decisive elements in the business field, emerging as the Japanese business spirit. The Japanese business,spirit, in turn, takes various forms, such as the maxim "do your bit for your country" on the management side, Nenko wage system and Shushin Koyo employment system on the labor side, and the interdependence among firms, banks, and the Government. Furthermore, it is manifest in the business decision-making, functioning as a synthesizing element. Finally apart from the business organization, the Japanese mentality manifests itself with the existence and importance of the "Betriebswirtshaft" in the scholarly field of business in Japan. Again, this paper is an attempt to explain these characteristic attributes of Japanese business organization through Japanese mentality. The paper is composed of three Parts. In Part I, we shall look briefly, from a historical point of view, at the management and labor sides of Japanese business organization. This preliminary survey should present a good background for us to understand what the "YAMATO SPIRIT" is, and what its implications are in the Japanese business scene. In Part II, we shall discuss the three elements on which the "YAMATO SPIRT" is based, and then arrive at the definition of YAMATO SPIRIT by referring to Dr. Nishida's philosophy, and finally take up two distinguishing traits of Japanese mentality. The definition of YAMATO SPIRIT and its traits in this stage will be highly conceptual and abstract. Proceeding to Part III, however, YAMATO SPIRIT will take concrete forms; i.e., the forms of those above-mentioned characteristic attributes of the organization. In other words, it is in this Part that we shall view Japanese business organization from a mentality perspective. For this reason, much more emphasis has been put on this particular Part. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

published_or_final_version / Economics and Finance / Master / Master of Economics

by Kok-fai Chung. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-92). / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Corporate Capital Structure Decision: A Review of Theory and Evidence --- p.5 / Chapter A. --- Introduction --- p.5 / Chapter B. --- Static Tradeoff Theory --- p.6 / Chapter C. --- Agency Theory --- p.11 / Chapter D. --- Asymmetric Information Theory --- p.13 / Chapter E. --- The Choice of Providers of Finance --- p.16 / Chapter F. --- Concluding Remarks --- p.19 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- An Analysis on Aggregate Capital Structure of Japanese Manufacturing Corporations --- p.22 / Chapter A. --- Introduction --- p.22 / Chapter B. --- Setting the Stage --- p.22 / Chapter C. --- Historical Predominance of Bank Loans in Japan and Main Bank System --- p.25 / Chapter D. --- Substitutions of Bond Issues and Internal Fund for Bank Borrowings --- p.29 / Chapter E. --- Concluding Remarks --- p.35 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Determinants of Financial Heterogeneity among the Japanese Manufacturing Corporations: An Econometric Analysis --- p.42 / Chapter A. --- Introduction --- p.42 / Chapter B. --- Statistical Evidence of Financial Heterogeneity of Japanese Manufacturing Corporations --- p.43 / Chapter C. --- Factors Affecting the Debt-Equity Choice and Bank Loan- Bond Issue Choice --- p.52 / Chapter D. --- Data Sources and Methods of Sampling and Estimations --- p.68 / Chapter E. --- Estimation Results and Discussions --- p.70 / Chapter F. --- Concluding Remarks --- p.79 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Conclusion --- p.82 / Bibliography --- p.86

The postwar transformation of the international environment has caused economic issues to become a main source of contention among industrial states. The trade imbalance between Japan and its trading partners became a major source of conflict. Reciprocity of access and opening the market of Japan became the main point of debate and the major issue affecting relations between Japan and the United States. While the distinction between the domain of domestic and international politics increasingly is blurred, different domestic political economies create bilateral political and economic conflict. The structure and politics of intercorporate groups or vertical keiretsu are a major feature of Japan's industrial structure and political economy. This case study examines how vertical keiretsu in the automobile and home electric appliance industries affect the Japanese political economy and international trade. A political economy approach focuses on the political context of economic phenomena by analyzing both political and economic variables. Case studies of keiretsu were used in order to gain an understanding of Japan's political economy. A number of propositions or assumptions about the political economy and the dynamics of keiretsu were examined in these studies. It was found that vertical keiretsu influences the industrial sector, trade, and foreign policies in Japan. Japan's industrial policies cannot fully be understood without taking keiretsu into consideration. Scholars have not yet fully considered vertical keiretsu as major actors in the Japanese political process. Their political influence on industrial policies has largely been overlooked. Vertical keiretsu in the automobile and home electric appliance industries were found in the case studies to have been shaping industrial policies since the early post war years. Findings about the nature of Japan's political economy help to explain the conflictive bilateral relationships between Japan and the United States. The findings also show that understanding political economies of nations is increasingly important as the world economy grows and greater trade interaction is imminent.