Japanese buyer-supplier relationships, or Keiretsu systems, are recognized as being a major factor contributing to the competitive advantage of Japanese companies. Academics have been interested in these close relationships and some Western companies have introduced these systems. Against the...

Purpose – The paper aims to describe the changes in buyer-supplier relationships among Japanese companies at the early 2000s, focusing on two critical features; long-term relationships and information sharing. In particular, the paper investigates the relationship between benefits from...