Case Studies of U.S. Service Trade in Japan

This Note describes and examines the sources of barriers to U.S. trade in Japan in several service industries. The authors used a case-study research strategy that combined interviews with people in industry and government in Japan and the United States; review of trade journals and scholarly studies; and collection and analysis of independent data. The case studies were on banking and securities, insurance, law, accounting, data communications, and advertising. Among their conclusions, the authors found that the most important barriers to trade in services arise from government regulation of business, and that the U.S. government is more likely to be successful in moving Japan toward deregulation when there are strong domestic forces for change in Japan. A related RAND report, R-3175, Barriers to U.S. Service Trade in Japan, synthesizes and integrates the findings of the case studies and draws policy conclusions.