The ‘Japanization’ debate from 1980 to 2000: A brief historical review

The industrial success of Japan in the latter half of the twentieth century led to great interest in the Japanese management model and its associated concepts such as kaizen, JIT, and satei. When Japanese companies began expanding into the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Western countries, a debate ensued about whether the Japanese management model could be successfully transferred to Western firms. This transference was often termed the Japanization of the West. The debate was at its prime from 1980 to 2000. After outlining the key features of the Japanese model, this paper reviews relevant literature from the period to determine the prominent positions and arguments presented in the debate. The paper concludes by identifying several main themes reflected in the controversy and questioning the usefulness of the blanket term Japanization in examining the transference of the Japanese model to the West.