This paper explains that Japanese companies keep their subsidiaries very tightly controlled by the parent company than most
other multi-national firms; even when decision-making is delegated to other managers, the Japanese practice of consensus results in consultation with the head office in Tokyo. The author points out that, having learned some tough lessons from the financial problems of the last several years, there is now a "
liberalization" of the traditional Japanese ultra-conservative and
xenophobic economic policies, which makes it easier for foreign companies to invest in joint ventures. The paper relates that Japanese companies are making an effort to go global, which means they are not merely sending expatriate Japanese managers, as in recent years, but are opening up more to the cultures and practices of other countries.