Industrial restructuring and adjustment for ASEAN-Japan investment and trade expansion : An overview

The recent history of ASEAN-Japan relations has been marked by a degree of ambivalence. As the first Asian nation to industrialize successfully and to have risen as a phoenix from the ashes of war-time destruction to the leading heights of industrial and technology power, Japan has always been regarded with a degree of awe and admiration by its southern neighbours. On the other hand, Japan's economic expansion is increasingly felt in the ASEAN region. This study reviews industrial restructuring and adjustment in Japan and five ASEAN countries at different phases of economic development from the perspective of changing comparative advantages in the respective countries and in the context of a changing world economy. (DÜI-Sbt)