JAPAN MNE Insights
Volume 1, Issue 1
April, 2014
Academy of Multinational Enterprises (Japan)

www.mne-jp.org

Greeting from the President
TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Greeting from the

Shigeto Morokami, Ph.D.
President of Academy of Multinational Enterprises (JAPAN),
Professor of Meiji University, Tokyo Japan

President
2 Special Essay:

Distinctiveness ofJapan’s IB
Research: What
Makes It So
Unique?

I am glad to inform you that the Academy of Multinational
Enterprises in Japan has launched the English version of its website,academic papers to promote the international exchange of views
among researchers and practitioners worldwide.
As president of the society, I would like to introduce our
Academy of MNE for Japan. The academy was founded in 1972 as aworkshop for the research of Japanese multinationals. The workshop
regularly held regional and national conferences and publishedinfluential books on the subject of multinationals and international
economies. The Academy was reorganized and the current academic
society’s activities began in 2007.
The globalization of markets and economies has promoted the"The academy was
founded in 1972 as aworkshop for the
research of Japanesemultinationals"

flow of international trade and investment among countries and regions
on a worldwide scale. However, this globalization has expanded theeconomic gap between the rich and the poor and has exacerbatedglobal environmental problems. Even advanced countries arerecognizing widening gaps among national interests, multinational
profits, and the well-being of its citizens. Recent dramatic developmentof information and communication technologies has greatly affected
the management standards of multinational corporations.

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Multinational enterprises (corporations) have sharply increased thecomplexities and diversities in their strategy and organization to survive
and grow globally. The coordination of complex international strategies
has become an increasing problem for multinationals. The predicted
limitations to advanced country market growth have increased thecompetitive race among multinationals to penetrate developing country"We plan to increase thenumber of English
articles published in the
MNE Academy Journaland have launched an
English version of“JAPAN MNE insights” tothe world"

markets and to cultivate the base of the economic world population
pyramid (the so-called next 4 billion). Of course, institutional, economic
and cultural differences still remain a critical challenge for multinationals.
We can observe many problems concerning multinationals fromthe macro and micro perspective. To explore possible solutions, we haveaccumulated original ideas and empirical data concerning the strategic
behavior of Japanese multinationals. The majority of data are only
available in Japanese and are not accessible to foreign researchers andcritics. We plan to increase the number of English articles published in the
MNE Academy Journal and have launched an English version of “JAPANMNE insights” to the world. We welcome your contribution to our Journal
and newsletter. Please send us your feedback. Thank you.

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Special Essay:
Distinctiveness of Japan’s IB Research:
What Makes It So Unique?
Kazuhiro Asakawa, Ph.D.
Vice President of the Academy of Multinational Enterprises (JAPAN),
Mitsubishi Chaired Professor at Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
Japan’s academic community in the management field has had a long
tradition of publishing scholarly works primarily in the Japanese language, andsuch a tendency has prevented many high-quality works from being visible to
the rest of the world. Such a trend has also created entry barriers for nonJapanese scholars to participate in the intellectual debate here in Japan. Ourinternational business (IB) field is no exception in this regard. This newsletteris designed to ensure that Japan’s IB research trends remain on the radar ofoverseas management scholars and practitioners and to accelerate the pace of
globalization of our academic society.
To illustrate how similar or different the research trends are between
the IB research communities following the Japanese and US models1, I would
like to draw on two important articles that capture characteristics of each
community: Liesch, Hakanson, McGaughey, Middleton and Cretchley (2011)
and Takeda (2012). Both articles shed light on research trends in the IB field in
approximately the past 40 years, with the former featuring the IB researchstreams of papers published in the Journal of International Business Studies(JIBS) and the latter featuring the main research topics of the annual meetingsof the Academy of Multinational Enterprises (AMNE), our academic associationin Japan.
Liesch et al (2011) capture the manner in which IB research evolved in
the past four decades, from 1970 to 2008. According to their study, thedominant research streams of articles published in JIBS featured key concepts
such as “exchange rates” and “manufacturing” until the 1990s under Editors
W.A. Dymsza, E.W. Ogram, and D.A. Richs and then “strategy,” “performance,”
and “methods” since the mid-1990s under Editors P.W. Beamish, A.Y. Lewin,
and T.L. Brewer. Furthermore, beyond 2008, Professor Liesch observes that thefocus of this research stream has further expanded to cover “MNE-state
relations” under Editor L. Eden and “innovation, technology, knowledge andR&D” under Editor J. Cantwell.2
In a similar vein, Takeda (2012) provides an overview of the evolving
patterns of research interests among our AMNE members in the past four
decades based on the topics of papers presented at the annual meetings.
According to his observation, the main interest lies in the deep understandingof the basic principle of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and of the nature ofJapanese MNEs in the 1970s; in the new behavioral patterns of MNEs in thewake of intense competition in the global market in the 1980s;"This newsletter isdesigned to ensure thatJapan’s IB research
trends remain on theradar of overseas
management scholars
and practitioners and toaccelerate the pace of
globalization of ouracademic society."3Vol.1 Issue 1"The Japanese styletends to place emphasison obtaining a deep
understanding ofphenomena, whereas
the US style tends toprioritize methodologicalrigor in the empiricalanalysis."JAPAN MNE Insights
in the manner in which MNEs attempted to accelerate the pace of
globalization under the era of intensified competition and collaborationin the 1990s; and in the manner in which MNEs influenced the world
economy, industries, and society in the 2000s.
These papers help us to identify some commonalities between
the Japanese and US approaches to IB research. First, IB research has
been driven by both macro- and micro-perspectives, although therelative weight has shifted over time. Second, there has always been atension between breadth and depth in IB research; the former is more
geared toward practical relevance, whereas the latter is more driven by
the logic of analytical rigor. Third, although geographic coverage in IB
research was initially confined to developed countries and theirneighbors, it was rapidly extended to distant emerging markets, such as
BRICs, the Middle East, and Africa. Fourth, attention to such emerging
markets has gone beyond the domain of the area study and has been
linked to the attempt to build new management theory in the surge of
emerging countries.
By contrast, I observe the following uniqueness in the Japanese IB
academic community, as represented by AMNE. I observe the following
notable differences between the Japanese and US styles of IB research.
First, although both styles value theoretical contributions, the Japanesestyle tends to place emphasis on obtaining a deep understanding ofphenomena, whereas the US style tends to prioritize methodologicalrigor in the empirical analysis. Therefore, the Japanese IB researchcommunity is much more open-minded to qualitative, fieldwork-based
studies compared with its US counterpart. Many of our members haveexcellent access to company data and analyze key managerial issues
through intensive fieldwork. One can remain abreast of thecontemporary management opportunities and challenges confronted bythese MNEs by attending our workshops. Second, the Japanese style of
IB research maintains and nurtures its culture of encouraging interesting
and meaningful research, although it may be slightly risky from thejournal publication perspective. From the earlier stage of their careers,
Japanese researchers tend to select research topics that genuinely
interest them rather than topics that could lead to publication in top-tierjournals. Japan’s traditional incentive system, which values researchmonographs as being as important as publication in top-tier refereed
journals, has obviously allowed scholars to pursue research that truly
interests them, even when it may take more time to bear fruit. Third,
Japan remains an important context for IB research in Japan, whereas
many overseas observers of Japanese business have shifted theirattention from Japan to emerging countries. Rather than studying
Japanese management for the sake of revealing its uniqueness, theJapanese style of IB research uses the Japanese case as a building blockto establish more generalizable theory and concepts. Given that Japan is
no longer a fad and fashion in the management research, it makes sense
to regard Japan as an interesting context under which management
theory can be reinterpreted and advanced.

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I enjoy being associated with both US-based academic
associations such as the Academy of Management, the Academy ofInternational Business, and the Strategic Management Society as well asJapan-based associations as represented by AMNE to gain
complementary insights. Again, what I particularly like about theJapanese style of IB research includes its open-mindedness toward
diverse research methods and topics as well as its high level ofenthusiasm on the part of researchers toward their own research topics
in which they show genuine interest. Whereas US-based academia may
be a better place to learn state-of-the-art theory and the mostsophisticated methodology, our IB research community here in Japan
may be a better place to meet researchers who are genuinely interested
in real management problems and are seeking a deep understanding ofphenomena by drawing on first-hand data. Many of our members areattempting to develop new theories based on the laborious analysis of
their own primary data.
Given that Japanese academia is accelerating its pace ofinternationalization, I am pleased to acknowledge that AMNE is at theforefront of such endeavors. Although further internationalization ofresearch activities is unavoidable, I would hope that AMNE could
preserve those advantages pertinent to Japan’s academic tradition. I
believe that our continuing attention to the Japanese business context
in IB can serve as a reminder to the international IB community ofJapan’s longstanding role as a “critical case” in IB research (Westney,2005). As Professor D. Eleanor Westney writes, “trying to balancedistinctiveness and generalizability is a constant tension in both fields”(i.e., IB and Japanese business studies) (Westney, 2005: 6-7). It may be
our priority as a Japanese IB research community to aim to achieve
global-standard research at the highest possible level while maintaining
the distinctiveness that is inherent to our academic tradition.

"Again, what I particularly
like about the Japanesestyle of IB research
includes its openmindedness toward
diverse researchmethods and topics aswell as its high level ofenthusiasm on the partof researchers toward
their own research
topics"__________________________
1 What I mean by “US model” or “US style” represents US and non-US research communities that adopt theacademic incentive system based on publication in top-tier refereed journals.
2 Professor Peter Liesch’s seminar talk at Aalto University in Helsinki on October 31, 2012.
REFERENCES
Liesch, P.W., Hakanson, L., McGaughey, S.L., Middleton, S., and Cretchley, J. (2011)“The evolution of the international business field: A scientometric investigationof articles published in its premier journal.” Scientometrics, 88: 17-42.
Takeda, S. (2012) “Research task for the Academy of Multinational Enterprises(AMNEs): Reviewing the research accomplishment in retrospect and prospect”(Takokuseki kigyo gakkai no kenkyu kadai: Seika no kaiko to tenbo), In:
Oishi, Y., Kuwana, Y., Tabata, S. and Yasumuro, K. (Eds.) Multinational
Enterprises and Emerging Markets. (Takokuseki Kigyo to Shinkokoku Shijo),
Tokyo: Bunshindo: 345-361. In Japanese.
Westney, D. E. (2005) “What is international business?: A Sociological view.” In. Buckley, P. (Ed.)
What is International Business? London: Palgrave Macmillan: 153-167.

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Academy of Multinational Enterprises (Japan)
2013-2015 Executive Board Members
President
Shigeto Morokami (Meiji University )Vice President
Kazuhiro Asakawa (Keio University)
Naotoshi Umeno (University of Hyogo)
General Affairs
Yoshiharu Kuwana (J.F. Oberlin University)
Takeshi Ohtowa (Hiroshima City University)
Planning Commitee
Masahiro Ida (Hannan University)
Shigeto Morokami (Meiji University)
Naotoshi Umeno (University of Hyogo)
Toshiaki Sugita (Konan University)
Best Book and Paper Award Commitee
Kenichi Yasumuro (Osaka University of Commerce)
Yoshihiro Oishi (Meiji University)
Takeshi Ohtowa (Hiroshima City University)
Kazuhiro Asakawa (Keio University)
Akio Tokuda (Ritsumeikan University)
Program Commitee (2014)
Yoshihiro Oishi (Meiji University)
Hiroshi Hoshino (Kyusyu University)
Yoshinori Yasuda (Soka University)
Tetsuya Usui (Nihon University)
International Relations
Takeshi Fujisawa (Kwansei Gakuin University)
Emiko Magoshi (J.F. Oberlin University)
Toshiaki Sugita (Konan University)
Chie Iguchi (Keio University)
Public Relations and Publications
Shohei Tabata (Kinki University)
Masahiro Ida (Hannan University)
Emiko Magoshi (J.F. Oberlin University)
Yoshinori Yasuda (Soka University)6Vol.1 Issue 1

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MNE Academy Journal Editorial Board
Editor-in-Chief
Toshiaki Sugita (Konan University)
Editorial Members Kazuhiro Asakawa (Keio University)
Takeshi Fujisawa (Kwansei Gakuin University)
Naotoshi Umeno (University of Hyogo)
Takuya Fukazawa (Tokyo Fuji University)
Eastern Chapter
Yoshinori Yasuda (Soka University) (Chair)
Shigeki Tejima (Nishogakusha University)
Chie Iguchi (Keio University)
Western Chapter
Masayuki Furusawa (Osaka University of Commerce) (Chair)
Hiroshi Hoshino (Kyusyu University)
Takahide Yamaguchi (University of Hyogo)
Executive Secretariat and Directors
Head OfficeTetsuya Usui (Nihon University)
Eastern Chapter
Takuya Fukazawa (Tokyo Fuji University)
Western Chapter
Yukiko Shinomiya (Kinki University)
Auditor
Satoshi Numata (Aomori University)
Susumu Harada (University of Hyogo)

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Japan MNE Insights will be published twice a year on the AMNE official website(www.mne-jp.org). For further information, including regarding submission to the Japan MNE
Insights, please contact the editorial team (kasahara@u-shizuoka-ken.ac.jp).

Japan MNE Insights Editorial Team
Editor-in-Chief
Chie Iguchi, Keio University

Editorial Members
Masashi Arai, Kyorin University
Tamiko Kasahara, University of Shizuoka
Tetsuya Usui, Nihon University
Japan MNE Insights Editorial Team is currently located at
Office of Dr. Tamiko Kasahara,
University of Shizuoka, School of Management and Information
52-1 Yada, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka, 422-8526, Japan
TEL/FAX:+81-54-264-5435 (direct)
Contact e-mail address: kasahara@u-shizuoka-ken.ac.jp
Copyright @ Academy of Multinational Enterprises (Japan)

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