Part of the problem with the Japanese computer industry was that Commodore seriously undercut the Japanese manufacturers on price. The Japanese companies were used to trouncing American companies in electronics on the price and bang-for-buck fronts; with the release of the VIC-20 in Japan (called the VIC-1001 or something), Japanese electronics firms were put on the defensive and not able to mount an effective counterstrategy. So they catered to a Japanese market rather than competing for the world market. When it looked like the PC was to be the clear winner of the platform wars, some firms (like Toshiba, Fujitsu, and Sony) managed to gain a toehold in the portable market, but the damage was done.