1990: Regionalism and World Economy

Various aspects of emerging regionalisms are analyzed, with focus on Pacific, US-Japan and EC integration. A comprehensive discussion by one noted member is a feature.

Ippei YAMAZAWA (Hitotsubashi University) in the first keynote “Pacific Cooperation and the Global Economy” traces historical evolution of the APEC and characterizes it as Pacific version of the OECD, its features being open regionalism, non-exclusiveness and gradual liberalization.

Minoru SEKISHITA (Ritsumeikan University) in the second keynote speech “A View of the Structural Impediments Initiative between Japan and US” explains the historical process of politicizing US-Japan economic conflicts and refers conclusively to the inevitability of the bilateral structural adjustment or SII.

Soko TANAKA (Tohoku University) in the third keynote presentation “The Development of European Integration and some Prospects for the Reconstruction of Europe” discussed regionalism, German reunification and prospects of European reorganization, favoring Euro-optimism rather than Euro-pessimism.

As comprehensive commentator for the three keynote speeches served Jun NISHIKAWA (Waseda University) who pointed out that further research should be made in the relation between globalism and regionalism, between economic nationalism and borderless economy, and between regional integration and functional integration. Shohshichi SUGIMOTO (Kyoto University) says that these researches are need and expected to lead to “economic theory of interdependence”. The JSIE conventions thereafter tend to follow the path outlined by them.