Book excerpt: The study, first published in 1981, traces the history and development of Japanese business from the seventeenth century, and is the only text that systematically treats the rise of Japanese business in its full complexity and against the background of contemporary social and political conditions. Each section discusses the socio-economic conditions, the leadership and business elites, the internal and external structures and the impact of values. The emergence of new types of businessmen, their ideas and approaches, their relations to the government, their handling of labour problems are all analysed. One of the most intriguing aspects of this study is the unique importance of Japanese values, their tenacious persistence and uncanny flexibility and resilience. The strengths and weaknesses of these values are examined in detail.