          
          
                      THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT
          
          The Japanese Government spending policy has given an 
          indirect boost to the competitiveness of a number of 
          Japanese industries.  In the past, the government directed 
          considerable public and private resources to targeted 
          priority areas, but has been moving away from such 
          industrial policy measures, partly in response to criticism 
          by Japan's trading partners of these export-oriented 
          policies.  The Japanese Government continues to promote 
          high technology cooperation among firms and plays a direct 
          role in organizing these efforts, using off-budget 
          resources and small amounts of appropriated funds to 
          contribute to investment projects and government/private 
          sector efforts.
          
          The trade agencies of the Japanese Government (the Ministry 
          of International Trade and Industry, the Japan External 
          Trade Organization, and the Manufactured Imports Promotion 
          Organization) are under pressure from foreign countries to 
          implement further market opening measures.  These agencies 
          are now cooperating with the United States in the Joint 
          Trade Expansion Program to increase American exports to 
          Japan.  Unlike past market-opening packages, the Japanese 
          Government is now backing its pledges with substantial sums 
          of money on a case-by-case basis for import promotion from 
          the United States.
          
          The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI):  
          MITI is responsible for the formulation and implementation 
          of the government's trade and industrial policy.  With the 
          Ministries of Finance, Construction, Transportation, 
          Agriculture, and Forestry and Fisheries, as well as the 
          Economic Planning Agency, MITI occupies a central position 
          in what the Japanese call the economic bureaucracy.  MITI 
          is regarded as one of the three most powerful and 
          prestigious ministries of the central government (together 
          with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign 
          Affairs).  MITI has overall responsibility for trade 
          matters, and it funds most of the government's export 
          promotion programs.  However, day-to-day management and 
          operation of these programs is the Japan External Trade 
          Organization's responsibility.  MITI functions include both 
          policy-making and operations.  On export-related matters, 
          it supervises the export financing programs of Japan's 
          Export-Import Bank, operates several types of export 
          insurance programs, supports research organizations, and 
          facilitates various types of overseas technical and 
          cooperation training programs.
          
          The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO):  Although 
          legally placed under MITI's aegis, JETRO administers the 
          export programs of the Japanese Government with virtual 
          independence. MITI subsidizes roughly 60 percent of JETRO's 
          total annual expenditures and, technically, has final 
          decision-making authority over JETRO management and 
          programs.  Originally established to help Japanese firms 
          export, JETRO now also assists American companies seeking 
          to export to Japan and promotes Japanese investment in the 
          United States.  JETRO publishes a number of market 
          information reports and other pamphlets useful to U.S. 
          exporters.  The degree of assistance you are able to 
          receive from JETRO may vary.  Minimally, you should obtain 
          a publication list from the organization.  Other JETRO 
          trade promotion activities include:
          
              Export to Japan Opportunity Database:  This is a 
              combination of two separate databases aimed at 
              providing small and medium-sized overseas exporters 
              with opportunities to do business with Japanese 
              importers.  The Potential Importer Database identifies 
              Japanese companies and the merchandise they want to 
              import.  This data is freely accessible from each of 
              JETRO's seven U.S. offices to help a potential U.S. 
              exporter find a potential Japanese importer.  The 
              Potential Exporter Database provides the names of U.S. 
              companies interested in exporting to Japan with full 
              product descriptions.  This database is available for 
              use by Japanese importers at JETRO's Local 
              Internationalization Centers in 49 locations throughout 
              Japan.
          
              Japanese Tops Information System: Not to be confused 
              with the U.S.  Department of Commerce TOP program, the 
              JETRO TOPS (Trade Opportunity Service) is a 
              closed-access database system for matching potential 
              business partners.  The JETRO TOPS system matches 
              overseas exporters with Japanese importers from a 
              database of tens of thousands of companies.  Registered 
              companies are provided with a list of potential 
              business contacts.  To register your company, complete 
              the application form available at JETRO's seven U.S. 
              offices.
          
              Trade Fairs:  Since 1985, JETRO has organized 
              large-scale trade fairs in Japan for foreign products 
              and services.  Exhibitors in these events have 
              benefited from JETRO's extensive network of contacts in 
              Japanese industrial and distribution circles.  In 
              addition, JETRO has recently initiated a pilot project 
              involving small-scale exhibitions of foreign products, 
              exhibitions for spot sales, and import product 
              promotion seminars in several Japanese cities. JETRO 
              publishes a comprehensive annual directory titled List 
              of Trade Fairs in Japan.  For this publication and 
              other trade fair information, call one of the seven 
              U.S.  JETRO offices.
          
              Trade Complaints:  Exporters who believe they have 
              encountered nontariff barriers or other institutional 
              problems related to trade should contact the U.S.  
              Department of Commerce.  In addition, complaints may be 
              brought to the attention of JETRO. When JETRO deems it 
              appropriate, trade complaints will be forwarded to the 
              Office of Trade and Investment Ombudsman (OTO), which 
              was established by the Japanese Government for the 
              purpose of settling trade grievances.  Complete 
              information about the OTO is available at all JETRO 
              offices.
          
          JETRO offices in the United States are located at:
          
          JETRO, New York                   JETRO, Chicago
          44th Floor, McGraw-Hill Building  401 North Michigan Avenue
          1221 Avenue of the Americas       Suite 660
          New York, NY 10020                Chicago, IL 60611
          Phone:  (212) 997-0400            Phone:  (312) 527-9000
          
          JETRO, Houston                    JETRO, Denver
          1221 McKinney                     1200 17th Street
          One Houston Center, Suite 2360    Suite 1110
          Houston, TX 77010                 Denver, CO 80202
          Phone:  (713) 759-9595            Phone:  (303) 629-0404
          
          JETRO, Los Angeles                JETRO, San Francisco
          725 Figueroa Street               Suite 501
          Suite 1890                        Qantas Building
          Los Angeles, CA 90017             360 Post Street
          Phone:  (213) 624-8855            San Francisco, CA 94108
                                                Phone:  (415) 392-1333
              JETRO, Atlanta
              245 Peachtree Center Avenue
              Suite 2102
              Marquis One Tower
              Atlanta, GA 30303
              Phone:  (404) 681-0600
          
          The Manufactured Imports Promotion Organization (MIPRO):  
          MIPRO is a nonprofit organization established in 1978 by 
          the joint efforts of the Japanese Government and the 
          private sector to promote the imports of foreign 
          manufactured products by hosting various trade exhibitions 
          and providing a wide range of market information.  MIPRO's 
          activities are broadly classified into the following three 
          categories:  (1) holding imported product trade exhibitions 
          for buyers and the general public, (2) disseminating 
          information regarding imported products and the Japanese 
          market, and (3) promoting sales of foreign products to 
          Japanese consumers to enhance their appreciation of the 
          quality of imported goods.  MIPRO operates under the aegis 
          of JETRO and maintains an office in Washington, DC at (202) 
          659-3729.
          
          
          
