A compendium of information gathered during visits to Japan by several groups during the years 1990–1992, this book represents somewhat dated material describing various aspects of the state of computing in Japan. It is composed of four sections, each written by a different team, covering the following areas: expert and knowledge-based systems, databases, machine translation, and advanced computing. The material is particularly perishable because all the areas covered are changing rapidly and because of the large amount of research and market status information included in the book. Given the current state of electronic communications in government and academic circles, I suspect that nearly everyone interested in this material has already received it through some form of electronic distribution.

The book is uneven, with some authors obviously having invested substantially more time and energy in their contributions than others. Although some of the contributors are respected experts in their areas, others seem less experienced and are, consequently, less sophisticated in their presentations. The sections also vary according to the general level of interesting activity going on in Japan. “Machine Translation” stands out as the most relevant section, with “Expert and Knowledge-based Systems” a close second. The section on advanced technology is the oldest material, as noted in the preface, and therefore seems least useful. There is also a fair amount of overlap among the various sections, with some areas covered several times from different perspectives. Detailed trip report notes take up a substantial amount of space and add relatively little.

When it was first collected, the material would have been of some interest to public policy makers interested in Japanese progress in computing, but at this point it is mainly of historical interest. Researchers will find little of value in this book, unless they need to answer some specific, but not too deep, questions about the state of these areas in Japan. In such cases, the text may be more useful for identifying professional contacts in Japan than for the specific information reported, which tends to be superficial. Those needing to collaborate with Japanese computer researchers or seeking background on the Japanese computer industry may find some useful background material, as may computer professionals planning to spend time in Japan in the near future.

A few passages sound like self-serving commentary on the part of US researchers attempting to highlight the threat of Japanese leadership in various areas of computing. While it may be possible that the Japanese will pull ahead or extend their lead in some areas, the presentation seems to lack objectivity. The reader gets the impression that its purpose is to instigate increases in funding for US computer research.

Overall, this book is of limited archival value, and will be of little interest to most computer professionals and researchers.