You are on page 1of 3

Yen Hyoung Cho

English Academic Writing & Presentation

280001I

Emergence of Sushi Economics- The Link between the Local Market and the World
Theodore C. Bestor- How Sushi Went Global
Customers queue behind one another to get a taste of the food that, not only is foreign to their
origins, but has become the fad among consumers around the world sushi. Theodore C. Bestor in
his article, How Sushi Went Global, depicts this Japanese food as a prime example of the
globalization of a regional industry. He claims that globalization doesnt necessarily homogenize
cultural differences, but rather grows a franchise, creating new channels for global flows of capital
and commodities between nations. Though I agree that globalization is the necessary link between
countries in the promotion of capital and commodities, it would be ambitious to think that every
product has the potential to be sold in the global cultural market without the consideration of
opportunity created by Japan, size of industry and the nations economic ranking.
Bestor states that the during the year of 1970, the world started being appreciative of healthy
cuisines such as rice, fish and vegetables, and the intricate design of Japanese art; this prepared the
world for the entrance of sushi as the new fashionable good. However, the author seems to overstate
the change in consumers choice1 towards Japanese cuisines, and does not take into account that the
opportunity was not created by the consumers, but rather by Japan itself. During this period Japan
had already begun to make new trade connections with the United States and the world through the
export of cheap automobiles. In the 1960s Japan became one of the top three countries to manufacture
the most cars with a 65% increase in production compared to the 1950s. By the early 1970s Japan
started to trade more than one million cars to other nations, but primarily to the United States. Japans
economy was on the rise only next to that of the United States, and this newly emerging Asian
country became the mystery and perhaps the main topic of the world. The automobile agreement with
the U.S and its rise in economic power as an Asian country created the possibility for Japan to enter
the market with full awareness and acknowledgement from other nations. If Japans connection with
U.S and the world through automobiles didnt exist, it would be questionable as to whether sushi
could have gone global or not.
A market expands through investment and cooperation between nations, along with its
potential to expand further. This was the case for the fish industry and sushi. Since the 1950s the

Consumers choice: With the rise of the free (capital) market, consumers have gained the ability to choose among
competing products and services.

Yen Hyoung Cho

English Academic Writing & Presentation

280001I

worlds fish production and demand had been on a steady increase with the peak years being between
the 1960s to the late 1980s, from which over-exploitation started becoming a problem after then.
During the mid-90s the fish market was viewed to have high potential growth. In just Asia, about one
billion people relied on fish as their primary source of protein, and with Japan opening up its boarders,
the numbers were going to grow. With the demand for fish on the rise, and Japans need for fresh
tuna increasing it was the perfect opportunity for states all over the world to contribute to the
markets growth and take a portion of the income. The naturally increase in the industry size, and the
global contribution around the world created the possibility for sushi to become global.
Does every product have the potential to be sold in the global cultural market? If so, why
were the developing countries having a hard time promoting their products and exporting them into
the top developed nations during the prosperous post-war period2? This is because most nations
take economic ranking into consideration when signing contracts for the trade of goods. Having
powerful allies are still important in promoting economic growth even today. Japan, having ranked
second place after the United States in the 1970s, had the power to strike deals with nations around
the world. Their economic boom became a tool for making sushi the fashionable food it had become.
If any of the other Asian countries that were still in development such as Korea, Vietnam or Thailand,
were to have tried to promote their goods for export, they would have inevitably hit a barrier known
as power; the ability to influence and persuade the other nations into signing their trade agreements.
It would be hard to think that globalization creates a franchise that equally promotes every good to be
sold in the global and cultural market.
It is agreeable that globalization creates new channels for global flows of capital and
commodities between nations. However, it is too early to say that every good has the potential to be
sold in the global cultural market just as sushi had been. There are too many factors to consider
before being able to negotiate an agreement and send out a product to be sold into other countries.
Globalization will have created the initial link for products to be sold but whether or not that good has
the potential still needs to be determined.
Word Count: 783

Prosperous post-war period: This refers to the time between 1945 to 1963 were the countries that were engaged
in World War II started to economically recover from the Great Depression

Yen Hyoung Cho

English Academic Writing & Presentation

280001I

Bibliography
"Automotive industry in Japan." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 2 Jan.
2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_industry_in_Japan>.
"Cross Currents." Cross Currents. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2014.
<http://www.crosscurrents.hawaii.edu/content.aspx?lang=eng&site=japan&theme=work&subthe
me=INDUS&unit=JWORK065>.
"GDP in 1970 statistics - Countries Compared." NationMaster.com. NationMaster, n.d. Web. 10
Jan. 2014. <http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_gdp_in_197-economy-gdp-in-1970>.
"Pioneers in dictionary publishing since 1819." Collins English Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 13
Jan. 2014. <http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/consumer-choice>.
"STATUS OF THE WORLD'S FISHERIES." STATUS OF THE WORLD'S FISHERIES. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2014.
<http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/lectures/fisheries/fisheries.html>.
"The Post War Economy: 1945-1960." About.com Economics. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2014.
<http://economics.about.com/od/useconomichistory/a/post_war.htm>.
"World Fisheries: The Current Crisis (BP434e)." World Fisheries: The Current Crisis (BP434e).
N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. <http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/researchpublications/bp434e.htm>.

You might also like