Ron: A few circumstances come to mind, not least among them would be what has been remarked recently as a shift in what goods China is providing for export. As I recall, the shift involved a notable rise in the export of machinery -- a sector that may currently be out of the cycle for Japanese exporters.
I don't follow it well enough to say for certain, though I could probably find reason for U.S. industry's absence in any substantial manner from the capital equipment market. Heavier types of equipment...the types normally associated with Hitachi, Komatsu, Misubishi, et al.
Without looking, I'll just say that I received the impression that the machinery being exported from China is not of the substance of the Japanese equipment, yet is none-the-less a sector that has experienced some "notable" growth.
Maybe I should not designate it a shift, per se, as it appears the production of other Chinese goods for export has not been affected.
One more item...
Though many participants here quite possibly know better than I, I also believe that Japan is changing some product emphases.
I recall reading a special issue of the IEEE's Spectrum magazine several years back that devoted a great deal of print to Japan's national agenda on product research and development. It, and some evidence in the interim, leads me to conclude that Japanese technology is not at a loss for direction.
Yes, me too...FWIW. |
