Foreign-owned versus Domestically-owned Firms: Economic Performance in Japan

This paper utilizes micro-panel data for firms located in Japan and examines differences in corporate performance between foreign-owned and domestically-owned firms in the 1990s. We find that foreign-owned firms not only reflect superior static characteristics, but also achieve faster growth. Moreover, foreign investors appear to invest in firms that may not be immediately profitable, but those that are potentially the most profitable in the future. There is also no evidence that foreign investor is "foot-loose." These imply that foreign investors bring useful firm-specific assets into the Japanese market, which may work as an effective catalyst for necessary structural reform. Copyright © 2006 The Authors; Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.