Japanese Markets Are Open to Products Its People Want

On my way to work cruising down I-5, to my left I see a Toyota Camry and to my right a Nissan Pathfinder. Reach the parking lot and there are the Accords, Civics and Sentras. Sure there are many Rangers, Camaros and Escorts. But the fact is that there are more Japanese cars on our freeways and in our garages now than before.

Travel across the Pacific for a business trip to Tokyo and you get the feeling that you’ve arrived at the real Hollywood. Faces of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin Costner and Jodie Foster flood the streets of Ginza and Shinzuku. Walk into Tower Records and immediately you’re greeted with Madonna and Michael Jackson tapes and CDs.

American movies, music and pop culture have always held a commanding market share in Japan. When Madonna tours Japan for a concert, tickets--priced at an average of $80 to $120--sell out well in advance, all dying to get a glimpse of the Material Girl. In a local school gym, the sneakers that screech the floors of the basketball and volleyball courts all seem to have the swoosh logo, patented by none other than Nike. After practice, the students sit down and have a sip of the Real Thing--Coca-Cola.

Fact is, markets are not closed and the products that meet the consumers’ needs, quality and price sell, period.

Before finalizing the trade sanctions against Japanese auto makers, the Big Three should rethink this adage of free trade and start manufacturing products that meet the taste of Japanese consumers--maybe by putting the steering wheel on the right side, as is standard in Japan. If BMW and Mercedes-Benz can succeed there, so can Ford and GM.

It’s not about Japan and America. So, President Clinton, please stay out of it. It’s about products--what’s good enough to be sold in a different country and what isn’t.

GO YOSHIDA

Glendale