An inside view of `Japan inc¿

An engineer from the British Telecom Research Laboratory at Martlesham Heath recently spent six months as part of a research group at the Musashino Electrical Communication Laboratory of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone in Tokyo. The aim of the visit was to participate in a research project to the mutual benefit of the two organisations. The visit also provided the opportunity to examine at first hand the working practices and background of the engineers who have made Japan into the world´s foremost industrial nation. The observations indicate that a dramatic improvement in the effectiveness of British engineering is necessary if we are to remain a competitive industrial society.