For some time I had wanted to know Japan better. For all its economic challenges, it's still the world's third largest economy. For all its insularity, it remains a cultural powerhouse in East Asia. And while we may not be familiar with its universities, Japan has yet produced 19 Nobel Laureates. This aside, if only to get a better feel for our neighborhood, it seems to make sense to get to know something about Japan. As the first Asian country to industrialize and to move towards a democratic system of government, Japan is also a thought provoking example of a dramatic transformation by a feudal society with deep Confucian influences. The interplay between China and Japan have in the past critically shaped the arc of history in East Asia. This should be more so the case in the future.
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