IP-16-88 (July 1988)
Author: Martha L. Wright

PDF of full Issue Paper
Scribd version of full Issue Paper

The recent Japanese purchase of several Colorado properties including an Aurora office complex and the Breckenridge ski area has sparked debate in the state. Is this good for Colorado? Does it create jobs or expand wealth?

Some writers have attempted to put a sinister cast on the trend, quoting books with xenophobic titles like Buying into America and The Financial Invasion of the U.S.

The issue pivots on whether you believe Colorado needs to be better known abroad and whether other business (trade, tourism, and investment) will follow once real estate transactions have opened the door. Martha Wright, who has lived in Japan, argues that it does and it will.