Well, I've been living here in Japan for the past 18 years now and I find companies here more capitalistic and less regulated then in the U.S. Everything you buy here is strictly "let the buyer beware." There is no such thing at all like "money back guarantee" like in stores in the U.S. And things are pretty unregulated as far as business goes.
I remember some years ago I wanted to import modems into Japan so I contacted JETRO, the Japan External Trade Organization, asking how do I arrange for an import license. They said there was no such thing. If I wanted to import, go ahead. In the U.S. you have to have business licenses to open up a small store or business. No such thing here. I ran an Internet cafe here in Tokyo for three years with no regulation hassles at all. As far as maintaining social equality goes, tell that to women who have traditionally been more discriminated against here. When I worked at Fujitsu, women - even the programmers - were expected to come in 15 minutes before the men to tidy things up and start the coffee and tea going. (Fujitsu, by the way, is a great company and one of the more progressive in Japan, with a high percentage of female managers these days.) While the salary discrepencies that exist in the U.S. are not as severe in Japan (and maybe that is what you meant by maintaining social equality), unemployment is at a high right now and the lifetime employment system is falling by the wayside. In addition, the population is aging quickly and the health insurance system is about bankrupt. Lots of problems facing Japan right now. I could go on forever... doug [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Saturday, December 29, 2001): >My view is more like that espoused in Europe and Asia. Take Japan, for >example. >To the Japanese, your views would be totally alien. In the past fifty years, >they have undergone more rapid economic transformation than any other nation, >while _maintaining_ social equality. They have done this by making >everyone and >everything accountable for the welfare of the nation. In the same period, >social >equality has markedly fallen in Anglo-American capitalist states. No >nation has >ever moved from an 'underdeveloped' to a 'developed' state by using >Anglo-American economic principles (which you seem to embrace). Indeed, most >nations that have adopted such methods have gone backward. > >While your views may be 'alien' to the Japanese (or to many other peoples), it >doesn't necessarily mean they are 'wrong', just 'different'.
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