Introduction

Part 1. Analysis of business trends in the small business sector

Chapter 1. Business trends in the small business sector

Section 1. The slump in the small business sector
Section 2. Trends in small business management
Section 3. Weak capital investment trend
Section 4. Regional economies and employment trends in the small business sector

Chapter 2. Features of recent business trends

Section1. Divergence in business trends between SMMs
Section 2. Divergence between firms in the small non-manufacturing sector

Part 2. Changes in the small business environment

Chapter 1. Economic structural change

Section 1. Overseas expansion of SMEs and growing cross-border specialization
Section 2. Changes in demand trends
Section 3. Overseas expansion of Japanese manufacturers and changes in inter-firm relations
Section 4. Growth of the service economy
Section 5. Adoption of information systems in manufacturing
Section 6. Changes in the distribution structure

Chapter 2. Changes in regional economies

Section 1. Small and medium retailers in city centers
Section 2. Transformation of industrial agglomerations

Chapter .3 Changes in the institutional environment

Section 1. Changes in the financial environment affecting the small business sector
Section 2. Other changes in the institutional environment
Section 3. Growing energy problems and global environmental problems

Part 3. Changes in SMEs and small business policies in Japan and overseas

Chapter 1. SMEs and small business policy in Japan

Section 1. The reconstruction period (1945~54)
Section 2. The high growth period (1955~72)
Section 3. The stable growth period (1973~84)
Section 4. The transition period (1985 to present)

Chapter 2. SMEs and small business policies in the West

Chapter 3. Common features of national small business policies

Part 4. Problems faced by SMEs and their response

Chapter 1. Establishment and growth of enterprises

Section 1. New growth and the small business sector
Section 2. Business start-ups in Japan
Section 3. Developing an institutional environment conducive to growth

Chapter 2. Creative innovation in the small business sector

Section 1. The Big Bang and the response of the small business sector
Section 2. Use of networks
Section 3. Strengthening managerial resources
Section 4. Promoting cooperation between industry, academia and government
Section 5. Deregulation and the response of the small business sector
Section 6. Reform of functions of distribution

Chapter 3. Development of independent SMEs

Section 1. Efficiency of SMEs
Section 2. Importance of independent SMEs
Section 3. The need to supplement the workings of the market

Chapter 4. Contribution to regional economic revitalization

Section 1. Revitalizing city centers
Section 2. Revitalizing industrial agglomerations

Chapter 5. Globalization of Japan's small business sector

Section 1. Issues of globalization in the small business sector
Section 2. Response of the small business sector to globalization

Conclusions: Small and Medium Enterprises in Need for Change and Display of Entrepreneurship

Fiscal 1998: Main features of the Government's small business policy
Supplementary Tables