Keidanren’s Stance on Trade and Investment Policies

Abstract

In the previous case study chapters, three industrial sectors - automobiles, electronics and textiles - were taken up in order to examine whether rising international corporate activities has affected firms’ trade policy preferences. The case studies basically support the contention that firms with significant international operations prefer an open domestic market, with some exceptions to this in the textile industry. This chapter seeks to deepen our understanding of the relations between increased international business activity and corporate positions on commercial policy in Japan through an analysis of Keidanren. Keidanren is the leading organization through which Japanese big business influences policy making, and multinational corporations are its major members. The federation’s stance and activities on various trade policies reflect the policy preferences of multinational corporations.