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Trade conditions in Japan are generally more restrictive than in the US or UK (e.g. resale price maintenance, which has been ruled illegal in each, but is accep
by lainga 9y ago
Trade conditions in Japan are generally more restrictive than in the US or UK (e.g. resale price maintenance, which has been ruled illegal in each, but is accepted as fact by consumers in Japan). The impenetrability of Japanese markets was a famous point of complaint by Americans in the "tiger" years of the 1980s.
Without ascribing too much to history, the postwar Japanese economy has a history of accepting some inefficiency if it helps the community, and distrust of large, monopolistic corporations -- cf. the collective memory of the zaibatsus, which were dismantled after the war.
- cc439 9y agoWhile that specific application of that strategy is illegal in the US, manufacturers get around it by setting a MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) limit with their distributors. The most common example of this being used in practice is when you see an item on Amazon or Newegg with the price listed as "See Price in Cart". It's obviously easy to work around that legal loophole as a consumer (it's just 1-2 more clicks) but it's much harder for corporate customers who typically have to solicit a quote or multiple competitive quotes before making any significant purchase.