Customer Reviews

Unlocking the Bureaucrat's Kingdom: Deregulation and the Japanese Economy

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good for anyone deeply interested in the Japanese economy and the relationships among business, politics, and the bureaucracy. However, this is a collection of essays and articles from various authors, both Japanese and non-Japanese, and the writing style can be brutally boring. However, each piece is relatively short so the readings can be done 20-30 minutes at a time. For any imsomniacs studying the Japanese economy, get this book.

The piece by Eisuke Sakakibara, vice minister for international affairs at the Finance Ministry, is a great look into the mindset of Japanese bureaucrats. Most of the other articles give good insights into small parts of the bureaucratic control over the Japanese economy, but the writing starts to get a bit repetitive by the time the book ends.

This book tells you what foreign reporters in Japan can't and Japanese government spokesmen won't: why the deregulation Japan needs to revive its economy and society will not happen without radical, far-reaching change beyond what you've already been told.