The Influence And Enlightenment Of Japanese Multinational Corporations On Japan's Economic Diplomac

The concept of economic diplomacy was first used by Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida in 1952 in his policy speech.After the promotion and implementation of the Yoshida and Kishi Nobusuke administrations,economic diplomacy achieved initial success.Economic diplomacy was written into official documents in 1957.In the Blue Book on Foreign Affairs that year,the Japanese government proposed to make economic diplomacy one of the three major tasks of Japanese diplomacy.Since then,economic diplomacy has been the key to Japanese government’s national diplomatic strategy.Through economic diplomacy,Japanese has opened up the post-war diplomatic scene,increased Japan’s influence in international affairs and expanded Japan’s living space in the international arena.The success of economic diplomacy had promoted Japanese cultural and public diplomacy,which strengthened the cooperation between Japan and related countries in a variety of fields,and won extensive national interests for Japan.It is a national strategy that Japan will continue to pursue in the long term.Multinational corporations can have a significant impact on national economic diplomacy,especially in a trading nation like Japan.These corporations have played a key role in Japan’s modernization,while the economic group formed by corporations is an important reason why Japanese corporations can play a greater role compared to other countries.As an active factor in international community since globalization,multinational companies have profoundly shaped the political form of the country and international relations.Although they are not the main actor of diplomacy,multinational companies play an important role in the process of economic diplomacy with their strong resources and influence.Foreign economic policy provides overall direction and basis for economic diplomacy.In Japanese government’s foreign policy making model,the financial sector,formed by economic organizations,is a political force that cannot be ignored.This sector determines Japan’s foreign policy together with the Cabinet,political parties and bureaucrats led by the Prime Minister.Japanese economic organizations exert their influence by meeting with the Prime Minister,communicating with government departments and publishing surveys and reports.Because of the supporting and leading role of multinational companies in Japan’s overall national development,the government usually focuses on the opinions of multinational companies,and strives to ensure that the national foreign economic policy is in line with the interests of multinational companies.Participation in the process of formulating government foreign economic policy is one of the key ways in which multinational companies influence economic diplomacy.The involvement of Japanese multinational companies in the TPP decision making process is a typical example of this.Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR)is a concept that emerges with the growth of corporations’ strength,and is based on corporation’ strong influence on country and society.The main body of CSR is corporation,but at the diplomatic level,the effect of corporations’ construction in host country is related to the economic,political and cultural interaction between countries.The building of social responsibility by Japanese corporations started with environmental management and gradually developed into a mature system covering many fields.Through good CSR performance,the quality of Japanese economic diplomacy has been enhanced,and significant diplomatic advantages have been achieved.It is also an important way for multinational companies to influence economic diplomacy.Among them,the construction carried out by Toyota of Japan in Pakistan is a typical example of a multinational company promoting local social development by actively assuming corporate social responsibility.The assumption of responsibility for environmental governance is in turn an outstanding advantage for Japanese multinationals when investing in production overseas.Economic diplomacy has become an important strategic support for many governments in their overall national layout.However,Japan’s economic diplomacy still has advantages in the world.And Japan’s unique government-business relationship is a primary factor in gaining diplomatic advantages.Japanese government and corporations have established a tacit relationship of full cooperation and close communication during modernization.This relationship continues to this day and helps Japanese multinational companies to exert greater advantages in Japan’s economic diplomacy process.In addition,the entrepreneurial spirit handed down in Japan has played a unique role.Concepts such as attaching importance to economic community and business as a national asset have been actively passed on in Japanese business community.These concepts help Japanese corporations to achieve good results in taking social responsibility and maintaining communication with government.Finally,the organizational form of Japanese corporations also helps Japanese multinational companies to form synergies,amplify power,and regulate behavior.The welldeveloped economic groups,mainly formed by multinational companies,are distinctive features of Japanese society.They unite corporate resources and form a unified force when influencing Japanese government’s foreign policy decisions,which could attract more attentions and increase communication efficiency.With the“Belt and Road”initiative as a landmark,and multinational company plays an increasingly important role in country’s economic diplomacy process,China’s economic diplomacy has entered a phase of rapid development.Although many achievements have been made,China’s economic diplomacy still has problems such as lagging corporate social responsibility and imperfect cooperation mechanisms.As the first country to propose economic diplomacy with great success,Japan’s experience could help China to improve its economic diplomacy.In the future,China should use diversified resources more comprehensively to serve economic diplomacy,and promote efficient communication between government and corporations.China should also use economic diplomacy to build friendly relations between countries,enhance political mutual trust,promote regional cooperation,improve national soft power and expand national interests.