Understanding Japanese International Business: A Literature Review

This chapter provides an overview of the development of international business (IB) research on Japanese companies through a literature review. The review focuses on papers published in major academic journals that have utilized the analysis results from Toyo Keizai Inc.’s Kaigai Shinshutsu Kigyo Soran, commonly referred to as the “Overseas Japanese Companies Data” or TK data. The papers are categorized based on their research focus, resulting in nine identified categories, covering topics such as foreign direct investment (FDI) patterns, performance, survival, subsidiary structure, staffing strategy, location choice, internationalization, FDI impact on domestic welfare, and methodology. The chapter also discusses future research directions and key areas of investigation in IB.