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>It is, based on all conventional historical sources, originating around the 15th century or so with the city states of Italy.< The parent comment was speaking

>It is, based on all conventional historical sources, originating around the 15th century or so with the city states of Italy.< The parent comment was speaking of “capitalism” as an euphemism for “wage slavery”, not in the classical sense of capitalism as defined by economics i.e. private ownership of the means of production. In that comment, payment for services i.e. wages is hardly “Western”, nor invented in the 15th century CE. >Which is irrelevant.< It is relevant because Japan imported many things from China, including the Kanji writing system, culture, mercantilism, systems of government etc.

coldtea 9y ago
>The parent comment was speaking of “capitalism” as an euphemism for “wage slavery” Well, the TFA speaks specifically about the "modern" form of "wage slavery" in Japan -- as tied to big corporations, office and factory jobs, consumer culture, etc, not generally about working to make a living by being paid a wage. Which is tied to capitalism. People didn't work like that before their contact with capitalism and when "free trade" was imposed on them by force.
- watwut 9y ago
  Japanese feudalism traditionally left very little freedom to citizens. Your occupation depended on cast you was born in. Samurai could not just take some other job and leave. Neither could peasant. The expectations on your loyalty and obeisance were super high. I am not sure they lost all that much with capitalism, maybe even gained.