"Your own specialists?" Now Tam was starting to bristle. "Just whom do you have in mind?"
"Industrial experts such as Kenji Asano, for example, may be involved." She continued, "We have a great reservoir of talent to choose from, particularly within the Ministry of International Trade and Industry."
"MITI?" Tarn stared at her, dumbfounded. She couldn't believe her own ears. That was like calling in a fox to fortify your henhouse. "You've got to be joking."
"The decision was made last week." Mori fixed her coldly. "Noda-san has been informed, and he finds the suggestion . . . acceptable."
"Well, I don't," Tam flared. "It's outrageous."
"There is something you must understand, Dr. Richardson," Mori continued in Japanese. "The management of a company should represent its ownership. Since Dai Nippon will be holding what amounts to a controlling interest in these firms, we are obliged to assist them using whatever international specialists we feel are most qualified to contribute. For now we believe that the expertise in our Ministry of International Trade and Industry is most appropriate since it has guided corporate growth in Japan for many years with undeniable success."
"That's irrelevant." Tam steamed. "First, most MITI executives don't necessarily understand American business. And second, MITI has no right involving itself in the operation of our industry. It's a flagrant conflict of interest."
"There I must disagree with you. On your first point, many Japanese firms have been manufacturing here and have an excellent record of labor relations and management success. As to your second point, using specialists trained by MITI is simply the most efficient way to transfer Japanese expertise."
"It won't be allowed."
"Why shouldn't it be? Any people we bring here will be on leave of absence. Hence they will no longer have any official ties to the Japanese government. No law prevents us from appointing whomever we wish."