The Invisible Barrier to Trade Between the United States and Japan: “Horizontal Competition”

Japan's restrictions on the import of certain products have led to disputes with the U.S. These disputes have been addressed within the framework of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and considered a disagreement based on foreign trade poli cies. The foreign trade problem between Japan and the U.S. dates to the period between 1945 and 1951, during which Japan was under U.S. occupation. The US -led reform programs during the occupation period significantly affected the Japanese economy, politics, and society, profoundly shaping Japanese cultural life and making American culture predominant. This, in turn, led to the emergence of reactions against U.S. cultural hegemony in Japan. One of the most striking implications of these reactions is the restriction of U.S. imports into Japan, which is attributed to cultural barriers.