Globalization and Japan

When speaking about globalization, what usually comes to mind is economics; the integration of national economies into a larger global system, through foreign investments, trade and multinational corporations. The whole picture of globalization is the transformation of all facets of life, from regional structure to a collective global one. This includes culture, media, communication, economic and political forces. The theoretical end point being a homogeneous global society where conventional boundaries between nations have more or less disappeared. So where are we today? Thomas Friedman describes it as "globalization 3.0", 1.0 being a system where nations drive globalization, 2.0 where multinational corporations are the main proponents, and 3.0 where individuals have an influence in globalization.

So what is Japan's place in globalization today? No doubt large corporations like Toyota and Sony come to mind when people think about Japan, high tech exports are the driving force behind the Japanese economy. Japan also must import %55 of its food in order to sustain it's population. So clearly, the global system has not just benefited Japan, it is essential. With America being one of Japan's top trading partners, its no surprise that many American companies sell their products here. These products however are often altered to fit Japanese tastes, and in some cases are exclusively marketed in Japan. If the McDonald's Ebi burger or Fanta jelly soda was sold in the US, I doubt they would be very popular. For the same reasons, you don't see root beer or Dr. Pepper in Japan, while many other Coke products can be found. This is most likely because most Japanese people I have talked to that have tried it say that it tastes like medicine. This is an important part of global business; no matter how willing a company is to do business in other countries, some things just never catch on with local tastes.