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Rating: 
Summary: Computing Japan Magazine Book Review (Nov 98)
Review: Hartcher is an editor for the Australian Financial Review, and his expose on the Ministry of Finance offers the first in-depth look in English at one of the most powerful and least understood elements of Japan, Inc. This is an essential book to read if you want to comprehend the (incomprehensible) bureaucracies that call the shots in Japan.
Rating: 
Summary: Ministry of Finance
Review: I read this book before being seconded into the Japanese Ministry of Finance, and I'm afraid that not only has much of the material suffered badly from the passage of time, but the (perhaps inevitable) selective use of anecdotes risks leaving the unwary reader with a rather warped view of the MoF. The workings of the Japanese political system and the bureaucracy have been subject to many critiques however, although Hartcher limits himself to examining just the MoF, he does not sufficiently focus his analysis to produce a truly enlightening text. Sadly, certain areas of the book are also subject rather exaggerated and, while such liberties may help make dramatic titles and sell copy, they do not make for informed debate. Although there are very few other English language texts that focus on the MoF, this one is not scholarly and I would advise you to skip it (there is another book on MoF by Brown - available on Amazon - but I have not read it yet). Gerald Curtis provides more insightful comment into Japanese politics, and Takatoshi Ito offers a far better review of the workings of the Japanese economy. These texts may be more general, but they will give readers a more balanced and rounded view of the Japanese political and economic system.
Rating: 
Summary: This One Digs Deep!
Review: The entangling bureaucracy that keeps a chokehold on Japan is exposed at last! I doubt if the Japanese Ministry of Finance wants you to read this one! Hartcher not only exposes how the bureaucracy works but also explains why Japan will always face an uphill battle until it is conquered. An excellent look at the ceremonial democracy that manages Japan!
Rating:
Summary: This One Digs Deep!
Review: The entangling bureaucracy that keeps a chokehold on Japan is exposed at last! I doubt if the Japanese Ministry of Finance wants you to read this one! Hartcher not only exposes how the bureaucracy works but also explains why Japan will always face an uphill battle until it is conquered. An excellent look at the ceremonial democracy that manages Japan!
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