Despite the fact that Japan has eliminated or significantly reduced import teriffs, there is still an impression that the Japanese market is closed to western companies. Regulation still exists, but ignorance of the Japanese market is a factor in holding back western companies from pursuing business goals in Japan. The authors are members of Applied Materials Inc, an American supplier of advanced processing equipment to the semiconductor industry that has succeeded in breaking into the Japanese market. This book describes their achievement, and provides advice on doing business in Japan.