Apologies for cross-posting. Please share it with your colleagues.

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that Volume 8, Issue 1, 2022 of Japan MNE Insights is now available online (http://www.mne-jp.org/english/column.html) and in PDF format. It is the official newsletter of the Japan Academy of Multinational Enterprises.

This issue includes two special essays, the summaries of which are shared below.

“Researching internationalization of Japanese MNEs through firm-level data: Contributions, challenges, and opportunities” by Mario Henrique Ogasavara (ESPM Sao Paulo, Brazil).

Synopsis: Professor Mario Ogasavara has researched the international expansion of Japanese multinational enterprises (MNEs) for over twenty years. In this essay, he shares his thoughts about using firm-level databases in International Business (IB) and Japanese MNEs research. First, he introduces the two primary Japanese datasets and other country-specific databases, showing the richness of information available in these sources for subsidiary-level data. Later, he presents the academic results and contributions to the field made by different scholars employing the databases, highlighting the successful case obtained by the Ivey-JFDI Research Project. Then, although the databases provide rich information at the subsidiary level, the author shows the main challenges scholars must consider when collecting and using these datasets. Finally, he offers some opportunities for future studies, particularly a way to build a bridge between Japanese and Western scholars to advance their knowledge in IB and Japanese MNEs studies.


“Possibilities for research across disciplines and Japan as a research setting in international business” by Manami Suzuki (Hosei University, Japan).

Synopsis: In an essay, “Possibilities for Research across Disciplines and Japan as a Research Setting in International Business,” Manami Suzuki, whose specialty is applied linguistics, writes about her collaborative research experiences with her Hosei University colleagues, Dr. Naoki Ando and Dr. Hidehiko Nishikawa. She also writes about her scholarly experiences in the international business academic community, mentioning sociocultural theory and suggesting possibilities for IB research across disciplines.

We hope that you will find our newsletter interesting.

Kind regards,

Dr. Tamiko Kasahara
Editor-in-Chief of Japan MNE Insights