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Business Restructuring of Japanese Firms: Structural changes during the "Lost Decades"

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  • MORIKAWA Masayuki

Abstract

This paper is an overview of the business restructuring—the entry into new businesses and the exit from unprofitable ones—of Japanese firms and its relationship with the corporate governance system. Specifically, we analyze changes in the restructuring behavior of Japanese firms by comparing two identical surveys conducted in 1998 and 2012. These surveys include large listed and small unlisted firms. There are many stable characteristics of Japanese firm restructuring behavior: the significant role of workers and customers/suppliers as stakeholders and the reluctance to reduce the number of employees. Japanese firms have become active in restructuring their businesses through mergers and acquisitions (M&As) to expand business areas and divestitures of unprofitable segments.

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  • MORIKAWA Masayuki, 2013. "Business Restructuring of Japanese Firms: Structural changes during the "Lost Decades"," Discussion papers 13083, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    • Handle: RePEc:eti:dpaper:13083
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