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Reports that now as Americans, Soviets and Europeans are serving up peace dividends, an unusually rancorous debate has erupted in Japan about whether its buildup should continue. At stake are billions of dollars worth of sales for US companies such as Boeing, United Technologies, and General Electric, as well as the future of US-Japanese security relations.

Describes how an appetite for foreign technology is till at the heart of Japan's stunning success. Why they use technology invented overseas; Benefits; Same strategy which America used when Europe was pre-eminent; Japan's strategy.

Discusses `fuzzy logic,' which lets computers deal with shades of gray--concepts such as about, few, many, and almost. How it works with less software; A core technology for the 21st century; How and where the technology was born; How its making its way into consumer items, where manufacturers use it to create more complex or more efficient controls that are easier to operate.

Reports that after years of going with the protectionist tide, Japanese consumers are suddenly calling for open markets that would mean cheaper goods and greater choice. View that Japanese consumers seem increasingly frustrated with a living standard that doesn't reflect the national wealth; Impact of the U.S. government; Discussion on Structural Impediments Initiative talks between Japan and the U.S. aimed at lowering some of Japan's formidable trade barriers; Anguish among Japanese consumers that their politicians do not push consumer issues harder.

Examines how Mitsui Petrochemical Industries Ltd. aims to grab 20 percent of Japan's $69 million lily business in five years. With characteristic hubris and drive, the Japanese are charging into biotechnology; The front-runners are all American,until Japan steps in with improvements. INSET: JAPAN'S TOP COMPANIES SPEND BIG TO CATCH UP.

The article reports that Recruit Co. publishing, telecommunications and real estate group has emerged intact and is making a comeback attempt in Japan. Sales growth ground to a near halt from January to June after soaring 46% in 1988. Recruit's expansion in telecommunications and real estate may have slowed, but it has not been wiped out of these fields.

Discusses how Japan cleaned up its environment at home, but continues to earn international ire abroad. Its companies have failed to curb industrial pollution overseas and Japan continues to support environmentally destructive aid projects. Criticism over Japan's failure to consider environmental impact of projects; Projects are designed primarily to fill coffers of private Japanese companies; Japanese business exports their most polluting operations to the Third World.

This article discusses the profits made by a diversified portfolio of small-company stocks in the U.S. in the first quarter of 1989. Take the top-performing Alger Small Capitalization Fund, up 20.21 percent. After a knockout quarter, it still has only $4.3 million in assets. Few people even know the fund exists. It recently rounded up the 1,000 shareholders needed to merit inclusion in the fund listings in the daily newspaper. The Kaufmann Fund, number 2 in the quarter and tops for 1988, has more than doubled in size since yearend, yet holds just $12.2 million in assets. Although small was profitable over the winter months, big funds did not exactly freeze up. The behemoth Fidelity Magellan Fund, with $9.67 billion in assets, racked up a 9.25 percent total return. In all, 3 of the 10 largest funds beat the 7.13 percent return of the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index. Perhaps the biggest disappointments for fund investors in the first quarter were the international funds, especially those that invest in Japan. But in difficult investment climates, smart ideas pay off. Christian Wignall, who runs G. T. Japan Growth Fund, scored an impressive 15.42 percent return by making a few shrewd moves. Buying a small fund that invests in small companies is, in itself, no guarantee of investment success. The portfolio manager still has to choose the right stocks. The biggest winners steered clear of high-technology stocks. The impact of a few winning stocks on a small portfolio can be enormous, especially in the quarter-to-quarter performance derby. With small funds, the question of whether the portfolio manager is a sharp stock-pricer or just luck is even more critical than it is with large funds.

The article focuses on the business expansion being made by ComputerLand Corp., an independent retailer of personal computers, in Japan and also discusses the benefits that the retailer will have for computer manufacturing companies to increase their sales in Japan.

The article reports on the decline in the sales and profits in most industries in Japan in 1982. It outlines the factors contributing to the decline including the slumping demand in export markets, the high interest rates, and slower growth at home. However, many of the countries leading companies have bucked the profit downtrend and posted earnings gains including Fujitsu Ltd., Nissan Group, and Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd.

The article focuses on the financial crises in the international operations of the Japanese banks. The worldwide recession and liquidity squeeze are exposing more fundamental weakness in the international position of Japanese banks. The Japanese banks hold a staggering 12.5 billion dollars of Mexico's total 58 billion dollars debt to banks in industrialized countries.

The article discusses the trade issue between the U.S. and Japan. According to the author, the Japanese has set a propaganda campaign that aims to withdraw the trade issue foundered in Washington, which is said to be counterproductive. It is alleged that the decision of the Japanese to lift a number of nontariff barriers to the U.S. imports might be rightful since American exports to Japan would not balance the trade account.

The article reports on the accusations that Tokyo, Japan is manipulating the yen downward to spur exports. In response, Bank of Japan governor Haruo Maekawa and other Tokyo officials argue that the yen has been battered by the 8.5 percentage point differential between yen and dollar-denominated investments. They also contend that dollar assets are appealing because of extremely high real U.S. interest rates, inconsistent U.S. money-supply figures, and fluctuating U.S. interest rates.

The article reports that Japanese truck producers that monopolize 20 percent of truck sales are trying to increase the sales of their models to offset the effect of import quotas in Japanese passenger cars, however, Detroit, Michigan is battling back with its compact trucks. It states that U.S. truck makers are confident that they can bite off Japan's market share by publicizing their smaller vehicles. It mentions that the imported vehicles have been charged with a 25 percent import tax.

The article focuses on the profound economic policy differences that set the U.S. and Europe apart. It highlights the international summit meeting of industrialized nations in Ottawa, Ontario that may include the obligatory condemnation of restrictive trade policies and urges talks on trade liberalization. The resentment of the European leaders on the move of U.S. President Ronald Reagan to rein the Japanese auto imports is also mentioned.

The article offers information on the barriers that causes slow growth in sales of Ford Motor Co.'s Escort model in Japan. It mentions that imports of foreign-made vehicles are down given the fact that Japanese are fond of pointing to the poor reputation for workmanship and durability of their products. It affirms that Japanese car owners are also much more demanding as compared to Americans.

The article reports that U.S. automotive parts manufacturers are requiring Japanese car dealers in the U.S. to buy replacement parts from U.S. manufacturers. It states that U.S. automobile parts makers face a shrinking market since Japanese car dealers are buying Japanese-made replacement parts. It says that the loss of major share in the U.S. automobile market is costly for Japanese car makers but they are reluctant on importing more original equipment from the U.S.

The article focuses on the implication of rivalries within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Japan for U.S.-Japanese trade disputes in 1980. The trade disputes concern trucks, automobiles, television (TV) sets and the buy-Japanese policy of Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Public Corp. Factional feuds within the LDP has emerged following the death of Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira on June 12. The possibility that the U.S. will exclude Japan from bidding on U.S. purchases is mentioned.

This section offers world news briefs for the week May 19 to 23, 1980. It reports on the increase in the production of solar water heaters in Japan, with output predicted to hit the half-million-unit mark in 1980. It highlights economist David Levine's economic forecasts for the U.S. for 1980 including the annual growth rates of real gross national product, housing starts, and interest rates. A U.S. Congressional Budget Office report reveals that the total value of tax breaks amounted to more than 181 billion U.S. dollars in the fiscal year 1980.

The article offers information on automobile exports of Japan to Europe as of April 1980. It cites the increase in market shares of Japanese cars in the nine European Community nation's markets. The success of Japan's auto exports in Ireland, Switzerland and Denmark affected the automobile once dominated by the European brands.

This article reports on the interest rate struggle among industrialized nations as they fight to tackle rising inflation rate by tightening monetary policy. The U.S. is leading the industrialized nation after the Federal Reserve Board moved to set discount rate to 13% and the prime rate to 17.25%. Centrals banks in Germany, Japan, France, Italy and Great Britain are planning to raise their interest rates too. The interest rates also pushed the U.S. dollar to surge in the foreign exchange market.

The article reports on the concern of foreign central banks over the strength of the U.S. dollar in 1979 and what harm it might do to their economies. It discusses the disagreement between the U.S. Federal Reserve Board and the German, Japanese and Swiss central banks over just how strong the U.S. dollar should be in the coming months. The article details how the strength of the U.S. dollar has been pushing central bankers to choose between currency stability and recession.

The article reports that the U.S. machine tool industry lost an export edge for the first time in 1978. The country purchased more machine tools than it sold during the year, which led to the deficit of more than 100 million U.S. dollars based on estimates by the Commerce Department. Japanese-made conventional tools have also been challenged by low-priced imports from several countries, such as Taiwan and Spain.

The article looks at the plan U.S. companies and institutions to venture in foreign markets in 1978. Said plan was triggered by the 1.6 billion U.S. dollar government bonds acquired in German marks. Reportedly, several U.S. banks including Chase Manhattan, BankAmerica, and Citicorp made money in markets in Germany, Switzerland and Japan. However, it notes that the main concern of raising funds in foreign markets is the risk of exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the funded currency.

The article reports on the status of the bond market in Tokyo, Japan in 1978. Tokyo bonds are reported to be replacing British government securities as the favorite investment for money managers around the world. The increasing demand for Tokyo bonds is attributed to the 35% rise of the yen against the dollar in the past 15 months. As a consequent of the investment in Japanese government securities, a growing amount is flowing into yen-dominated bonds issued by foreigners on the domestic market.

The article reports that Tandy Corp. is beginning to regain its fast-growth track, with an increase in sales in March 1978. The stocks of Tandy, along with other small electronics companies, declined when the citizen's band (CB) market fell apart in 1977. According to retail analyst Terence J. McEnvoy, the CB problem has been resolved, thus putting back Tandy on the recommended buy list. The growth being experienced by Tandy is a result of its intentional effort to hedge against rising prices and a falling dollar in Japan.

The article reports on the increasing number of foreign investors in U.S. farmlands in March 1978. It says that close to 800 million U.S. dollars were invested by foreigners in farmland in 1977 according to the private consulting firm European Investment Research Center. According to the author, the buying interest from Japan, Latin America and Western Europe is also rising. The economic trends in U.S. agriculture and the reaction of U.S. farmers to the continuing wave of investment in U.S. farmland are also discussed.

The author presents various opinions concerning personal business issues. People who want to invest or visit Tokyo, Japan are advised to try Japanese food and visit various tourist attractions including the Meiji Shrine, Hibiya Park, and the Tokyo National Museum. The Tax Reform Act of 1976 revoked deductions that are worth over the gross rental revenue from the property. Algonquin Hotel head bartender Jimmy Fox claims that the Kir was a famous drink in the U.S. for lunch people.

The article reports the negotiations between the U.S. and Japan in relation to airline routes and flights.

The article discusses how Japan-made dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips are attracting buyers from the U.S. computer industry. Japan is selling DRAM chips to the U.S. buyers for 3-5 times the floor price set by a trade agreement between the two countries. Japan subsided the U.S. computer industry by selling chips at lower prices. And now chipmakers are selling DRAMs at far lower prices in Japan than in the U.S. due of which Japan is expected to produce better computers at lower prices.

The article reports that the exchange market in Tokyo, Japan has not been affected by global tremors of financial liberalization. It has been noted that the city's agenda of market deregulation are still intact since Japan's markets are probably considered as the most regulated and can stand a little loosening. It has been stressed that one of the reasons why the Japanese were able to keep their heads is that there are rules limiting how much a stock price can drop each day.

The article reports on the plan of Japan to create a new Tokyo by the year 2000. The country is planning to construct new buildings in the city. The 625 million dollar, 37-storey Art Hills complex was opened in the spring of 1986. Construction will begin in 1988 on an 844 million dollar twin-tower city government center in Western Tokyo's Shinjuku area.

The article reports on the business conditions of Procter & Gamble Co., the U.S. marketing giant, which created the throwaway-diaper market in Japan. The company has recovered from a similar competitive setback in the U.S., but it is now discovering that it can be far more difficult to regain lost momentum in a foreign land. The author offers information about the business operations of the company.

The article offers information on the development of 16-bit computers in Japan. These computers which are known as pasokon can process data 16 bits at a time and convert Japanese phonetic syllabry and Romanized Japanese into kanji. The development of pasokon provides various opportunities for Japanese computer manufacturers and for U.S. software publishers such as the NEC Corp., IBM Japan Ltd. and the Lotus Development Corp. An overview of the sales of personal computers in Japan is provided.

The article reports that Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone doe not feel threatened by a political scandal on the donations of Japanese companies to the campaign of ousted Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. The U.S. Congress disclosed the news to the embarrassment of Japanese officials. Marubeni Corp. operates a number of joint ventures with Marcos cronies.

The article presents information on Eiji Toyoda, who brought Toyota Motor Corp. to profitability as president and now chairman of the company. He belongs to the Japanese Toyoda family. Originally, he belongs to a family engaged in textile manufacturing. The legacy of industrial prominence is now carried forward by his cousin, Shoichiro Toyoda, son of Toyota's founder. He is the grandson of Sakichi Toyoda, the inventor of the textile company, which was origin of the family empire.

The article discusses the deregulation of telecommunication market in Japan. Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corp. (NTT), a telecommunication company, will be competing with the private companies in the telecommunication market. The government will introduce a legislation that would permit private companies to set and operate value-added networks (VANs). In addition, VANs use sophisticated computer and communications technology to carry computer data, electronic mail and other information.

The article reports on the arrest of All Nippon Airways Co. Ltd. president Tokuji Wakasa and five other executives on charges stemming from the disputed 550,000 dollars in payment made by Lockheed Aircraft Corp. to the company in 1974. It says that the long-term impact of this controversy is likely devastating and that Japan Air Lines (JAL) will benefit from it. It states that the renowned secret to All Nippon's rapid success was its political clout with Japan's Transport Ministry.

The article discusses the issue concerning the negative effects of the excessive interest rates that foreign banks pay on the economy of Japan. The Tokyo Tax Bureau, the agency responsible for collecting federal taxes in its areas claims for the inflated interests cost that banks pay which resulted to the decline of reported profits in Japan. A scheduled meeting between Japanese and U.S. government to hash out a ruling affecting foreign banks in the country is offered.

The article reports on the impact of the rebuilding efforts of Vietnam on Japanese. Many Japanese projects are in work in Vietnam as Vietnamese proffer raw materials for industrial equipment. Hanoi enters a deal to purchase a crude steel plant from Nippon Steel Corp. and a coke-making plant from Nihon Electrode. Vietnamese also desire for the Japanese to help them in upgrading their railroads and shipbuilding facilities.

The article offers information on the issue of the attitude of Japan towards the citrus fruits exported from the U.S. It states after the revelation that U.S. uses fungicides on its citrus fruits which are not permitted by Japan, Japanese officials initiated crack down operations on U.S. fruits. The article highlights the losses incurred by the U.S. fruit exporters, and the steps taken by them to ease the situation.

The article reports on the Japanese licensee of Holiday Magic Inc., a cosmetic company privately held in California, allegedly acquiring a bad reputation in Japan. It notes that troubles came out when a discontented employee attracted the press, at the same time, clients began claiming on false promises of the product. Holiday magic licensee is forced to recall 1.3 million dollars worth of products and to repay 10 million to 20 million dollars in sub-franchise fees.

The article informs about deterioration of electric bullet trains, Shinkansen of Japan National Railways (JNR) which has been famous for speed and reliability. It states how troubles like malfunctioning of electrical circuits, cracks in railways and defective coaches have worn out the Tokyo-to-Osaka system badly. Matsutaro Fuji, JNR president, admits that the repairs have not been in pace with unforeseen growth of traffic and adds that overhaul is in order and they are seeking money for it.

The article reports on the poor performance of the Japanese economy as of September 7, 1974 which has prompted citizens to get involved in gambling and watching movies. Japanese bettors purchased gambling receipts worth 42.4-million U.S. dollars on the annual Japanese Derby in May and a major horse race attracted 20-million U.S. dollars in bets. It is predicted that the enthusiasm for gambling will drop once the national economy recovers.

Examines how the economic policies of Japan are making it more difficult for new high technology companies to succeed in 1998. The impact of the Japanese recession on startups; Japan's failure at providing funding for business startups; Sectors in Japan which have not made the transition to the Information Age; The subsidized nature of business enterprises in Japan; Why Japan needs to promote startup companies in leading industries.

The article focuses on increase in foreign investment in Japan. Although not all the numbers are in, it seems that overall foreign investment in Japan may have jumped more than 50% in 1996. The spurt of activity undercuts the popular notion that foreign companies are bypassing Japan to invest in seemingly more promising Asian markets. If the money keeps coming in, Japan's reputation as a rough place to invest could start changing. The weakening yen, combined with plunges in real estate and stock prices, are a making Japanese assets much more affordable.

The article deals with the negative trends in the Japanese securities trading companies. A stock dispute in the Japanese private sector is threatening the state of securities trading in the country. With the status of trade unclear, corporate shares gave increased 85 percent on the over-the-counter market, which left firms Nomura and Paribas with combined losses of as much as $72 million if they get stuck with the stock. The economic trend is giving the public a rare glimpse of how the shares of small, thinly traded companies can be easily manipulated by bigger firms.

Reports on Japanese shoppers' preference for American products. Record sales of American catalogers to Japanese consumers; Competition encountered by direct marketers in Japanese territories; Toll-free international phone and fax lines set up by marketers; Disadvantages of Japan's multi-layered retail distribution system. INSET: A Yen For Japan.

Focuses on the falling prices of imported goods in Japan. High yen as factor for the import price decline; State of Japanese trade relations with the United States; Corollary increase in overall demand for imports.

Discusses the reasons for new wave of Japanese investment in the United States. Japanese companies investing in the US; Office of Technology Assessment's study; Conclusion that Japanese investment in the US has grown to three times that of the American investment in Japan.