Introduction
External influences affect the types of products developed, the nature of positioning and market segmentation strategies, the type of services offered and the choice of business to acquire. The increasing complexity of business today is evidenced by more countries developing the capacity and will to compete aggressively in world markets. The external influences that affects a business venture in the global market varies from country to country. Establishing a new business venture in an area such as Japan would require an analysis of its cultural and economic environment. The Japanese market is considered to be the world’s most lucrative market. The biggest problem is how to get into it. Japan is known throughout the world for its economic successes, yet Japanese society remains an enigma to many outside its borders. The analysis conducted in this paper will present the positive and negative aspects of opening a in the Japanese market.
Brief History
Japan, an island country is a series of Eastern Asia island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula. It is slightly smaller than the state of California. With a population estimated at 127 (July 2004), Japan is three times more densely populated than Europe as a whole and twelve times more densely populated than the United States. 2 While retaining its time-honored culture, Japan rapidly absorbed Western technology during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power and a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business executi ...