Preface

In the half-century since the end of World War II, Japan has grown spectacularly out of the war's ruins. The country now faces a new economic era with harsh reality. It is an opportune time to take stock of Japan's economic performance. With this in mind, this issue presents a survey of the Japanese economy as an introduction to those students who have a basic knowledge of micro- and macroeconomics but little knowledge of Japan. The main objective is to give an "accurate" image of the Japanese economy as it is.