The growth of the Japanese economy: challenges to American national security

Abstract

As the Japanese economy has grown more powerful over the last two decades, there has been an increasing number of influential Americans who have voiced the fear that sharp economic competition from Japan is beginning to threaten the health of the US economy. There is a wide-spread perception that Japan is a "neo-mercantilist" nation which engages in predatory and unfair trade practices. Japan-bashers maintain that the Japanese believe that there is little distinction between economic security and national security and that their mercantilist approach to doing business threatens American national security by weakening critical elements of the US economy. By examining the extent and nature of the Japanese economic presence in the world marketplace, this thesis will show that this economic challenge poses no real danger to American economic interests except in one critical area--the development and control of high technology.