As the world's fourth-largest buyer of American products and the world's third-largest economy, Japan, among the most dynamic and advanced countries in the world, is a market that should be considered by all American exporters. Japan is a technology powerhouse, a proving ground for consumer goods and services, and in the social and commercial vanguard of developed market demographics. Further, Japanese companies are also major investors in the United States, and as a result Japan sees dozens of visits by senior U.S. state and city officials annually. While the reasons U.S. firms engage with Japan are diverse, the strategic and tactical importance of the Japanese market is critical not only for their business in Japan, but in the United States and third-country markets as well.