Research Projects

The U.S.-Japan Institute conducts internally motivated research at the rate of one major project per year.  The following projects have been completed in recent years:

1. "Assessing the Litigation Risk of Japanese Vehicle Manufacturers in the U.S. Market"

2. "Legal Cases in U.S. Courts Between U.S. and Japanese Firms in the Postwar Period"

3. "Marketing Strategies of Japanese Firms in the U.S. Market"

4. "Business Transactional Practices in Japan"

5. "Methodologies Used by Japanese Management for Capital Budgeting Decision Making"

6. "The Sexual Harassment Suit at Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America"

The project for 1999 is entitled "Assessing the Development Level of Japan's Technology."  The following three sets of data are being collected for the project:

• Royalties payments and receipts (U.S. and Japan)

• Patent applications and registrations (Japanese and American firms, actions taken in both countries)

• Patent infringement suits in U.S. courts involving Japanese firms as defendant and plaintiff

An interim report was presented by  Dr. Toshiaki Taga, Director of the U.S.-Japan Institute, on June 5, 1999 at the 10th Annual Meeting of the Association of Japanese Business Studies held in Salt Lake City .  Discussants in the session included Professor Leonard Lynn of Case Western University and Robert Mallingcrodt, Esq. of the law firm of Mallingcrodt & Mallingcrodt, Salt Lake City.

The Institute is now in the second phase of the project, examining cooperation in technology development in corporate alliances between American and Japanese companies.  The results are scheduled to be presented at the 11th Annual Meeting of the Association of Japanese Business Studies to be held in Tokyo in 2000, hosted by Keio University.