Further Evidence on Japanese Direct Investment in U.S. Manufacturing

Abstract

This paper examines the cross-industry determinants of the importance of Japanese direct investment activities in U.S. manufacturing through an extension of the analysis in a recent article by Bruce Kogut and Sea Jin Chang (1991). The results indicate significant positive roles for Japanese technology and marketing assets. While U.S. technology assets are insignificant, a significant negative effect for U.S. marketing assets suggests that entry barriers related to marketing are more important than any use of foreign direct investment by Japanese firms to access these assets. In addition, U.S. government policies toward defense-oriented industries appear to act as a deterrent to Japanese direct investment. Copyright 1996 by MIT Press.