Comparison of EC and Japanese Industrial Strategies for the Polymer Industries *

Abstract

Japan's position today in the chemical and related polymer industry is compared with that of its major EC and North American competitors and the reasons for the primary domestic focus are explored. Although the strategic thrust for the major Japanese companies has been to develop the domestic base, external influences are now causing this to change and today the industry is in transition. The challenges for the rest of this decade are considerable in the face of the increasingly global thrust of the major competitors.