The automotive industry have on the economy.

What should one know about Japan's Economy and Industry?

• Someone once told me that to truly understand a country means to understand its Society, Arts, Religion, Politics, Economy and Industry(which he made into the acronym PERSIA, and I retooled as SARPEI). The years have shown me a great deal about the Society, Arts and Religion of Japan, and I gain a deeper view of the Politics with further study, but as I approach the more in depth stuff, I start to realize that I have a thread bare, if any understanding of the Economy and Industry of Japan, with research turning up nothing in depth. What should I be looking for, to know these aspects in greater depth?

• Answer:

  Your acronym SARPEI is quite good.  SAR is the inner life of a country's people, while PEI is their outer, external aspects.  If you could weave "geography" and "demographics" into the mix, I think you could have a very balanced micro- and macro-level understanding of a given country. I recommend, for starters, that you acquaint yourself with the very basics of Japanese geography- what parts are more rural, what parts are more urban, where are the main agricultural zones and where are the main industrial zones.  With this under your belt, you might take a more detailed look at which industrialized parts of Japan are producing what products.  Knowing some of the traditional main products of Detroit (cars), Seattle (aeronautics), New York (publishing), Kansas City (beef), etc., gives one a better handle on parts of the American economy, right?  Knowing the difference between the Midwest's farms and the Rust Belt's factories, Boston's colleges and Santa Fe's deserts, are all useful insights, too.   There are already dozens of useful Wiki pages- mfg in Japan, for example.  Other useful google targets would be the METI (J Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce.  The Japanese national government (and more than a few prefectural governments) have posted all sorts of official information online, and they deserve our gratitude and appreciation for all their efforts.    But there are also other, unofficial or non-governmental sources for understanding Japan that we ignore at our peril.  Alex Kerr's homepage and his influential book Dogs and Demons are both well worth your while.  Several national newspapers publish annual fact books or almanacs about Japan.  (Asahi's is my personal favorite.)  Much of what they report is directly fed from the J government, but not everything.  Keeping one eye on their quoted sources is very useful when following up later on non-governmental sources.   And finally, your contacts and acquaintances online at such places as, say, Quora, are invaluable anecdotal sources.  Some of us are well worth cultivating a relationship with for just this purpose.  ;-)