Understanding Corporate Responsibility in Japanese Capitalism: Some Comparative Observations

Working paper on INCAS blog : https://incas.hypotheses.org/Corporate responsibility (CR) has emerged as a ubiquitous new form of private governance. This paper discusses cross-country patterns of corporate responsibility with an interface to the discussion of a variety of capitalisms, and how corporate responsibility mirrors or substitutes for institutionalized forms of coordination. The broader discussion is then linked to the particular situation and development of CR in Japan. Afterwards, we show empirical insights from a comparison between Japan and a wide sample of OECD countries. The paper uses a statistical analysis of listed corporations in 24 OECD countries during the years 2002 – 2014. The results show that the development of CR in Japan lags behind other OECD countries. However, Japan also shows relatively low levels of controversies in relation to social issues. Conversely, in general Japan. Finally, the paper ends with a discussion on how key institutional differences in distinct types of capitalism might influence corporate responsibility and how differences in particular institutions could explain the characteristics of the Japanese case