That doesn't sound very likely. In Japan, with the weak Yen, domestic production would be cheaper than US (and there are plent of factories so economy of scale is there) and the requirement is to make a profit. Importing American instruments into Japan is unlikely to deliver those good profits. Across other parts of Asia Indonesian and Chinese production would be more in the right price range.
I think you are missing my point. The intent is to clear the way for more US made goods to be sold in overseas markets. If a high quality product is produced and sold there already, especially with same the name cachet, it might be a hard slog to introduce a competitor with the same name and quality but at a higher price, but if there is no locally produced product with the same name and quality, those interested in that name and quality will move to the "new" import, even if it costs a little more.
That said, based on what (little) I know about the asian business model, it could be very likely Fender may be about to introduce a line on par with the MIJ stuff but made in China. Asian manufacturers by and large are capable of producing whatever level of quality their contractor is paying them to produce. The beginner level instruments Fender has been getting from China could well jump to a level of quality on par with MIJ, MIM, and MIA, albeit with a corresponding increase in price, but even with the added expense of better materials and construction, labor is still so cheap in China, those instruments would still cost a lot less to produce then they would in Japan, Mexico, or the US.
s good as the MIJ fenders have always been, the only reason I can think of for shutting down their production is to make way for fenders made in other countries to take their place.
And there is also the very real possibility that not enough units were being sold to make production in Japan profitable enough to continue.
guess I will stick with Atelier Z next time i'm in Ochanomizu, damn I love this place....
