The Growing Acceptance of Global Standards by Japanese Companies and Its Implication in Terms of Disclosure

Modern Japan was built on a strong linkage between government, business and society. But it did not proceed without fight, claims or revolts, as exemplified by the history of peasants and industrial workers’ protests, the rise of environmentalist movements and the instability of the business and political system for long periods of time. The Japanese economic and business system, including the employment relations framework, is the result of an interaction between interests and ideologies that sometimes clashed and sometimes compromised in specific political, social and economic contexts. Ideas about the roles of business in society and the concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR) that have emerged and evolved in Japan since the Edo period derive from these complex influences.