Ministry of International Trade and Industry

Japanese agency

Also known as: MITI

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Last updated

July 17, 2026

Quick Summary

The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), formerly the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), is a key Japanese government agency focused on economic management. It plays a significant role in guiding Japan's business sector through consultation and indirect involvement in banking, rather than direct state ownership.12

METI is responsible for monitoring the economy, setting targets, and engaging in long-term planning to influence resource allocation and industry organization. While direct government intervention has decreased since the early 1990s, METI continues to be involved in strategic areas like nuclear power generation. The agency's historical influence was crucial in Japan's rapid post-World War II economic growth and its aggressive export trade policy.12

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industrial design
American hegemony and challenges from abroad
Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), formed in 1949, sent Japanese industrial designers for study abroad in an effort to upgrade the quality of the country’s products, which were considered, in the immediate postwar era, to be cheap imitations of Western products. Under this…
Read More
Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), formed in 1949, sent Japanese industrial designers for study abroad in an effort to upgrade the quality of the country’s products, which were considered, in the immediate postwar era, to be cheap imitations of Western products. Under this…
Read More