Kisei Kanwa to Shijo Kozo no Henka: Koku, Sekiyu, Tsushin Sekuta (Deregulation and Changes in Market Structures: A Comparative Analysis of Equilibrium Paths in the Aviation, Oil and Telecommunications Sectors)

Abstract

Many books researching privatization and deregulation in Japan were published every year until the mid-1990s, in both Japanese and English; many of those works are mentioned in the literature review of this book (pp. 16–22). The privatization and deregulation of telecommunications took place almost simultaneously in Japan, US, and Great Britain and they were some of the earliest in adopting neoliberal policies; through clever manipulation of information, the activities of the Rincho (Second Provisional Administrative Reform Commission, 1981–1983) were widely reported by the media, thereby gaining the attention of researchers. Privatization and deregulation were not just studied by economists, they were also of interest to political scientists studying Japanese government–industry relations, beginning with the notion of ‘Japan, Inc.’ (pp. 22–27). Moreover, research on the deliberation process of the Rincho has focused on the debate over whether to view Japanese politics as a pluralistic political process, bureaucrat-led quasi-democracy, or corporatist decision-making style. For example, in the 1987 inaugural issue of the journal ‘Leviathan’, which had a special focus on ‘The Rise of Neo-conservatism’, several authors discussed the Nakasone Administration (1982–1987) and considered deregulation and privatization as important factors in explaining Nakasone politics.