Japanese Corporate Groups,Yesterday and Tomorrow

Abstract

One of the secrets of the success of the Japanese economy lies in the reciprocal shareholdings, which could be seen typically in the structure of the horizontal corporate groups. Free from the pressures of the shareholders, the managers could pursue the long term interests of the companies. Today, however, this organisational strength has turned into a disadvantage, which leads eventually to the potential danger of over-borrowing. Therefore the Japanese corporation is now engaged in a process of re-structuring and deregulation to adjust to new realities.