Note on Conventions

Throughout the text, Japanese personal names are given in the common Japanese manner, with the surname followed by the given name. The only exception to this rule is made in the case of Japanese writers whose works are well known to Western readers. Most corporate names are given in the abbreviated form listed in the Japan Company Handbook , which includes all companies listed on the First and Second sections of the Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya stock exchanges, as well as many local market, over-the-counter, and unlisted companies. Macron marks are used except in cases where the word in question is widely familiar to Western readers (e.g., Tokyo and Osaka, instead of Tokyo and Osaka).