Japan is a country which can be attributed a degree of uniqueness that many other countries
cannot imitate. Because of the fact that Japan was relatively inaccessible to the rest of the world,
it experienced an evolution of society, politics and economy that are somewhat distinct.
Although contemporary Japanese reality is not so unimaginably different from our own, it is
different in some specific, analytically useful ways. Nowadays, the Land of the Rising Sun is
one of the global leaders in various fields, yet it simultaneously faces some fundamental
problems that threaten its future as an influential power. These threats to Japan, such as for
example the demographic crisis and economic stagnation, can be identified elsewhere as well,
including in the Western or developed countries of Europe and North America. Thus, the
problems of Japan are to a certain degree our problems as well, with the caveat that they have
slightly lengthier experiences with them. The aforementioned problems which we have in
common may be designated to be symptoms of the capitalist method of the organization of
productive forces, and a result of the application of capitalist principles onto national
particularities. Japan, as a country which has significantly innovated within capitalism and
pushed the system to new boundaries, has a number of experiences we may find very helpful.
The purpose of this research paper and its analysis is the establishment of what makes Japan
unique, why and how, for the end goal of accruing knowledge for dealing with our own future
issues.
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