Protecting Defense: Making Sense of Japan's Post-WWII Arms Procurement Policies

Abstract

This research explores the root of the conventional practices of sumiwake in Japan’s post-war defense industry and procurement policies, which have minimized domestic competition between firms thus rendering the industry costly and inefficient. It attempts to provide explanations as to why the Japanese government has pursued the custom of sumiwake to date despite knowing that absence of competition will necessarily generate inefficiencies in production and procurement of arms.