Japan’s Development Into a Superpower
First, I’d like to point out that for a long time Japan has been in the same row as developing countries for instance, in the late XIX and early XX centuries, it was still struggling with feudalism and its impacts (Emmerson & Holland, 1988, p.37-39).
But the Second World War changed everything, bringing American capital and American major principles to Japan (Emmerson & Holland, 1988, p.67). Another positive stimulus for Japanese economy development was The Korean War (1950-1953), which “provided a sharp spurt to Japan’s economy, as American procurement for the war could be most efficiently and economically accomplished in Japan” (Emmerson & Holland, 1988, p.67).
In the subsequent years, Japan’s economy and society not only stopped moving forward but seemed to double the forces. One of the major factors which made Japan so successful is its exclusive attention to technology development. Japanese government managing the economy very strictly and quite successfully, foreseen that technology is the world’s future, and paid very much attention to this very area of the economy.
Now we can see the results, using Japanese high-technology items. Thus, Japan and the USA relationship helped the former not only overcome the consequence of the Second World War but helped Japan to learn the major western principles of success.
Admittedly western thinks are not the only makers of Japanese success since Japanese culture and philosophy contributed a great deal to the development of such great power. As Masaoka stated Japan is standing “at a point where the Eastern and Western civilization meet,” taking the best from these two civilizations (Masaoka, 2009, p.4).
Thus, Japanese policymakers took the best from the western business rules, and Japanese people worked hard using Japanese efficiency, preciseness, and perfectionism, these two factors made it possible for Japan to achieve those great results. It is a well-known fact that Japanese culture and philosophy praise labor and seek perfection, this makes Japanese people work hard and be very precise in this work, they can’t allow their work wasn’t fulfilled imperfectly, they don’t accept defects in their work.
It is necessary to admit that though Japan and the USA have had such a long and close relationship there are a lot of people who blame the other for some reason from both countries. For instance, sometimes in media Japanese contemplate the negative impact of the American culture on the Japanese economy and culture, expressing the fears about the negative impact of American economic decline on the Japanese economy; and vice versa, some Americans are likely to accuse Japan as one of the factors which caused an economic decline in the American economy.
Nevertheless, relations between these two countries have been still developed, and the two nations only benefit from this correlation. People understand that two superpowers should continue cooperation in different fields and areas to develop our globalized society. For example, Masaoka praises this correlation and points out that nowadays Japan can “harmonize the East and the West and contribute to the unification of the world” (Masaoka, 2009, p.4). Thus, despite some opposition two countries continue developing their interrelation, learning from each other.
References
Emmerson, J. K., & Holland, H. M. (1988). The Eagle and the Rising Sun: America and Japan in the Twentieth Century. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Masaoka, N. (2009). Japan to America. New York: BiblioBazaar, LLC.