Gen Kanai

Merrill Lynch's Jesper Koll, "Japan is Back, For Real This Time"

Good summary. Koll is always quotable.

I'm one of the most skeptical and bearish on Japan but I do think there has been a significant change.

That said, I know for a fact that Japanese companies are still tied to informal keiretsu and do not always go for the cheapest vendor. Relationships are so powerful in Japan they often trump economics.