Janet Hunter, Saji professor of economic history at London School of Economics, discusses Western criticism of Japanese traders for their low "commercial morality" during 1870s-1930s. A 3 p.m. reception precedes the talk.
Analysis of the commercial morality issue, whose influence on Japanese-Western economic relations persisted into the postwar period, offers insights into the complex interaction between cultural difference and the transnational spread of ideas and business practices.