The Drive for Economic Great Power Status

Abstract

The Japanese belief that they are a unique people of homogeneous culture, which today remains their greatest weakness, gave considerable advantages when the economy began to expand in the early post-American Occupation years. The decision to go for economic growth at virtually any cost demanded a commitment to what has been termed Japan Incorporated which would not have been possible to the same degree in most other countries. The emotional attachment to being Japanese, and thus not like other peoples, could be harnessed to national effort and economic achievement. Year after year in the 1960s Japan thus attained the unheard of economic growth of 10 per cent thereby doubling its economy every seven years or so. The education system reaffirmed Japanese sense of separateness and both supplied the right style of workers and confirmed and approved the national priority.