Comparing Japan And American Food Markets :: essays research papers

Comparing Japan and American Food merchandises     The Japanese Market has become vital to the U.S. Economy. Japan is thenumber one export market place for the united States. In 1993, Japan accounted for37.6 percent of the total growth in U.S. value-added exports.     U.S. food products, in particular, argon a huge market in Japan. Americanagricultural exports to Japan in 1993 were $8.7 billion. About one-third ofJapanese agricultural aftermaths come from the United States. However, there issometimes a conflate reception in Japan regarding products from the United States.Japanese, on one hand, attentiveness to do things "American" ever since the Second WorldWar. But, on the other hand, U.S. products atomic number 18 perceived as less sophisticatedthan Japanese and European food products, in product formulation or packaging.Also, U.S. products are considered non as safe as domestic helps ones, due to the useof pesticides and c hemical additives and the partisanship of the Japanese consumerto purchase Japanese items.     The reason for the large volume of export to Japan is due to UnitedStates comparative advantages. Food products are truly expensive to produce inJapan. Japans current labor shortage, combined with import restrictions anddomestic price stabilization programs, boast driven up domestic production costs.     The Japanese food outlay pattern consist of an receptivity to foreignproducts and a strong interest in things external. All types ofinternational cuisine can be found in Japan. Many varieties of tropic andimport fruits, such as Florida grapefruit, California cherries, New Zealandkiwifruit, and Hawaiian papayas are readily available in supermarkets anddepartment stores, as are trade alcoholic beverages ranging from Kentuckybourbon and Chinese beer to Russian vodka and California sake.     Japanese food consumption is marke d by short-term trends. For example,Korean and Mexican food became commonplace a few years ago and then unpopular.There have also been Italian and Spanish food booms.     The Japanese economic corner has shifted the focus of many consumersto the more affordable neighborhood restaurants that feature conventionalJapanese dishes. This has made consumers price conscious at grocery counters,which benefits cheaper imported goods. As a result, imported foods account forover half of Japans medium annual caloric intake. Moreover, with Japaneseagriculture contracting, Japans reliance on (and nudeness toward) imported foodproducts will continue to incr relaxation behavior.ConclusionIn the future, the United States may no longer be considered to have acomparative advantage for food products in Japan. Countries in the westernPacific are likely to provide stiff competition for the U.S., due to the shortershipping distances and the ease of conducting long-distance business from within neighboring time zones. Offshore enthronisation for processing exporting