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The Role of Multinational Firms in International Trade: The Case of Japan

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Author Info
Kozo Kiyota (Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan)
Shujiro Urata (Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University)

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Abstract

This paper examines the role of multinational firms in international trade using firm-level panel data for Japanese firms between 1994 and 2000. Our results indicate that multinational firms dominate Japanese trade. In 2000, only 12.4 percent of Japanese firms were multinationals but they accounted for 93.6 and 81.2 percent of Japanese exports and imports, respectively. We found that multinational firms emerged from being exporters/importers. These results imply that firms do not make the choice of either exporting or undertaking FDI, contrary to the findings of previous studies. Rather, exporters make a decision on whether or not to undertake FDI.

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File URL: http://fordschool.umich.edu/rsie/workingpapers/Papers551-575/r560.pdf
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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Research Seminar in International Economics, University of Michigan in its series Working Papers with number 560.

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Length: 35 pages
Date of creation: 2007
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Handle: RePEc:mie:wpaper:560

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Related research
Keywords: Multinational Firms; Foreign Direct Investment; International Trade; Intra-firm Trade;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General
F20 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - General
D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Andrew B. Bernard & J. Bradford Jensen & Peter K. Schott, 2005. "Importers, Exporters, and Multinationals: A Portrait of Firms in the U.S. that Trade Goods," NBER Working Papers 11404, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Bernard, Andrew B. & Bradford Jensen, J., 1999. "Exceptional exporter performance: cause, effect, or both?," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 1-25, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  3. Lipsey, Robert E & Weiss, Merle Yahr, 1984. "Foreign Production and Exports of Individual Firms," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 66(2), pages 304-08, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Roberts, Mark J & Tybout, James R, 1997. "The Decision to Export in Colombia: An Empirical Model of Entry with Sunk Costs," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(4), pages 545-64, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Head, Keith & Ries, John, 2001. "Overseas Investment and Firm Exports," Review of International Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 9(1), pages 108-22, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. John Baldwin & Wulong Gu, 2003. "Export-market participation and productivity performance in Canadian manufacturing," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 36(3), pages 634-657, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Cowling, Keith & Tomlinson, Philip R, 2000. "The Japanese Crisis--A Case of Strategic Failure?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 110(464), pages F358-81, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Robert E. Lipsey & Eric D. Ramstetter & Magnus Blomstrom, 2000. "Outward FDI and Parent Exports and Employment: Japan, the United States, and Sweden," NBER Working Papers 7623, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Andrew B. Bernard & Joachim Wagner, 1998. "Export Entry and Exit by German Firms," NBER Working Papers 6538, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  10. Blonigen, Bruce A., 2001. "In search of substitution between foreign production and exports," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 81-104, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Good, D.H. & Nadiri, M.I. & Roller, L.H. & Sickles, R., 1992. "Efficiency and Productivity Growth Comparisons of European and U.S. Air Carriers : A First Look at the Data," Working Papers 92-22, C.V. Starr Center for Applied Economics, New York University. [Downloadable!]
  12. Sourafel Girma & Richard Kneller & Mauro Pisu, 2005. "Exports versus FDI: An Empirical Test," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer, vol. 141(2), pages 193-218, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Keith Head & John Ries, 2004. "Exporting and FDI as Alternative Strategies," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 20(3), pages 409-423, Autumn.
  14. Kozo Kiyota & Shujiro Urata, 2005. "The Role of Multinational Firms in International Trade: The Case of Japan," Discussion papers 05012, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  15. Head, Keith & Ries, John, 2003. "Heterogeneity and the FDI versus export decision of Japanese manufacturers," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 448-467, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  16. Diewert, Erwin, 2007. "Index Numbers," UBC Departmental Archives diewert-07-01-03-08-17-23, UBC Department of Economics, revised 31 Jan 2007. [Downloadable!]
  17. Helpman, Elhanan & Melitz, Marc J & Yeaple, Stephen R, 2003. "Export versus FDI," CEPR Discussion Papers 3741, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  18. Rafael Rob & Nikolaos Vettas, 2003. "Foreign Direct Investment and Exports with Growing Demand," PIER Working Paper Archive 03-001, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania. [Downloadable!]
  19. Yamawaki, Hideki, 1991. "Exports and Foreign Distributional Activities: Evidence on Japanese Firms in the United States," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 73(2), pages 294-300, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. David Greenaway & Richard Kneller, 2007. "Firm heterogeneity, exporting and foreign direct investment," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 117(517), pages F134-F161, 02. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  21. Clausing, Kimberly A, 2000. "Does Multinational Activity Displace Trade?," Economic Inquiry, Oxford University Press, vol. 38(2), pages 190-205, April.
  22. Fukunari Kimura & Kozo Kiyota, 2006. "Exports, FDI, and Productivity: Dynamic Evidence from Japanese Firms," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer, vol. 142(4), pages 695-719, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  23. Rafael Rob & Nikolaos Vettas, 2003. "Foreign Direct Investment and Exports with Growing Demand," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 70(3), pages 629-648, 07. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  24. Lipsey, Robert E & Weiss, Merle Yahr, 1981. "Foreign Production and Exports in Manufacturing Industries," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 63(4), pages 488-94, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. URATA Shujiro & OKABE Misa, 2007. "The Impacts of Free Trade Agreements on Trade Flows: An Application of the Gravity Model Approach," Discussion papers 07052, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI). [Downloadable!]
  2. Fukunari Kimura & Kozo Kiyota, 2006. "Exports, FDI, and Productivity: Dynamic Evidence from Japanese Firms," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer, vol. 142(4), pages 695-719, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Kozo Kiyota & Toshiyuki Matsuura, 2006. "Why Is Multinational Status Important? Evidence from Job Creation and Job Destruction in Japan," Working Papers 555, Research Seminar in International Economics, University of Michigan. [Downloadable!]
  4. Tomohiko Inui & Toshiyuki Matsuura & Sandra Pocet, 2008. "The Location of Japanese MNCs Affiliates: Agglomeration Spillovers and Firm Heterogeneity," Discussion Paper Series a506, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Kozo Kiyota & Shujiro Urata, 2007. "The Role of Multinational Firms in International Trade: The Case of Japan," Working Papers 560, Research Seminar in International Economics, University of Michigan. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. WAKASUGI Ryuhei & TODO Yasuyuki & SATO Hitoshi & NISHIOKA Shuichiro & MATSUURA Toshiyuki & ITO Banri & TANAKA Ayumu, 2008. "The Internationalization of Japanese Firms: New Findings Based on Firm-Level Data," Discussion papers 08036, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI). [Downloadable!]
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This page was last updated on 2009-11-25.


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