The central position held by wholesalers in the Japanese marketing system has been viewed, varyingly, as a form of market control and system restraint. Compared to their Western counterparts, Japanese wholesalers play a decidedly more dominant and multifunctional role in relation to retailers and manufacturers. This article explains, through an interpretive historical account of events in Edo, Japan, how their special position came about and why it endured through the upheavals of Meiji modernization. The analysis helps new participants in the Japanese market appreciate the roles played by indigenous wholesalers and, it is hoped, profit from their multiple services.
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