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it took Japan about 25 years of very directed industrial strategy to take the "made in Japan" label from indicating junk to the average American, to indicating

it took Japan about 25 years of very directed industrial strategy to take the "made in Japan" label from indicating junk to the average American, to indicating a premium/reliable product. China might get there in even less than 25 years but you'll probably still find people holding onto old "chinesium" beliefs long after they should

Marsymars 9mo ago
A key for Japan is also that for various product categories, they don't export (or maybe manufacture at all - I'm just not really familiar with their non-export goods) low-quality goods - I assume because it isn't economical to compete at the low end of the market. Even though China can compete at the top of many markets, they still also compete at the bottom, which taints their reputation.
jacquesm 9mo ago
Japan never was a threat during that time to countries around it. China is very much a threat to other countries around it and I would feel pretty bad about materially financing yet another war.
- tmnvix 9mo ago
  I'm beginning to feel this way about the US. Much more comfortable with Chinese foreign policy at this point. At this point, going on the past 50 years or so, it would take something quite extraordinary on China's part to convince me they are going to abuse their power as much as the US has so far. Hopefully I'm not simply being naive.
  - bluGill 9mo ago
    You need to pay better attention. I hate what Trump is doing to US foriegn policy - but it is still better than China, and there is hope that things will change in the future as elections continue. China doesn't even have that hope. China is clearly supporting Russia in Ukraine. China is clearly making plans to invade Tiawas (that alone makes them just as bad as the US, even if it hasn't happened yet).
    - erxam 9mo ago
      Unless you start a denazification project and start shooting MAGA cultists en-masse, the US is not recovering. This is a rot that goes beyond one man and one party. Your empire is decaying and it's going to keep lashing out up until it's completely gone.
- woooooo 9mo ago
  If we add up "damage to countries around it" in the previous hundred years, I think Japan doesn't look so great. China conducted one several-week war against Vietnam and annexed Tibet, both over 50 years ago. Other than the longstanding dispute with Taiwan, who are they threatening? Some quibbles over a few Himalayan mountains with India?
  - fooker 9mo ago
    > Some quibbles Two wars.
    - blackoil 9mo ago
      One War. In 1962, i.e. 64 years ago. In meanwhile, US supported genocidal regime of Pakistan killing Hindus and many more in what is now Bangladesh. Sent billions more to Pakistan which are then used to fund terrorist activities in India. and some more recently under Covfefe.
      - fooker 9mo ago
        Here's the other one https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathu_La_and_Cho_La_clashes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathu_La_and_Cho_La_clashes
        woooooo 9mo ago
        "The Defence Ministry of India reported: 88 killed and 163 wounded on the Indian side, while 340 killed and 450 wounded on the Chinese side, during the two incidents.[6][7] According to Chinese claims, the number of soldiers killed was 32 on the Chinese side and 65 on the Indian side in Nathu La incident; and 36 Indian soldiers and an 'unknown' number of Chinese were killed in the Cho La incident.[8] " War might be overstating it a bit, "incident" might be more appropriate, but we can round up in the spirit of comity. So adding it all up, the Chinese had 1-2 small foreign wars per decade in the 50s-70s, zero since 1979. It still doesn't justify the phrasing "threatening all their neighbors" in 2025, aside from Taiwan specifically. In the case of the line of control with India, it's reached the point where they're having ritualized fistfights at high altitude for pride, that's just comical. It's not threatening.
- idiotsecant 9mo ago
  Haha that little 'during that time' is doing some heavy lifting there. You don't think there might have been some slight lingering resentment and fear that the slouching monster that Japan was during WWII would come back? I think Japan's neighbors might have felt 'pretty bad' too, but it didn't matter. In the end the money wins.
  - jacquesm 9mo ago
    You mean just like the rest of Europe does against Germany or Italy? Hint: we don't.
    - idiotsecant 9mo ago
      Are you implying that there wasn't massive resentment toward Germany and italy in postwar Europe?! Wild claim if so.

Marsymars 9mo ago

A key for Japan is also that for various product categories, they don't export (or maybe manufacture at all - I'm just not really familiar with their non-export goods) low-quality goods - I assume because it isn't economical to compete at the low end of the market. Even though China can compete at the top of many markets, they still also compete at the bottom, which taints their reputation.

jacquesm 9mo ago

Japan never was a threat during that time to countries around it. China is very much a threat to other countries around it and I would feel pretty bad about materially financing yet another war.

tmnvix 9mo ago
I'm beginning to feel this way about the US. Much more comfortable with Chinese foreign policy at this point. At this point, going on the past 50 years or so, it would take something quite extraordinary on China's part to convince me they are going to abuse their power as much as the US has so far. Hopefully I'm not simply being naive.
- bluGill 9mo ago
  You need to pay better attention. I hate what Trump is doing to US foriegn policy - but it is still better than China, and there is hope that things will change in the future as elections continue. China doesn't even have that hope. China is clearly supporting Russia in Ukraine. China is clearly making plans to invade Tiawas (that alone makes them just as bad as the US, even if it hasn't happened yet).
  - erxam 9mo ago
    Unless you start a denazification project and start shooting MAGA cultists en-masse, the US is not recovering. This is a rot that goes beyond one man and one party. Your empire is decaying and it's going to keep lashing out up until it's completely gone.
woooooo 9mo ago
If we add up "damage to countries around it" in the previous hundred years, I think Japan doesn't look so great. China conducted one several-week war against Vietnam and annexed Tibet, both over 50 years ago. Other than the longstanding dispute with Taiwan, who are they threatening? Some quibbles over a few Himalayan mountains with India?
- fooker 9mo ago
  > Some quibbles Two wars.
  - blackoil 9mo ago
    One War. In 1962, i.e. 64 years ago. In meanwhile, US supported genocidal regime of Pakistan killing Hindus and many more in what is now Bangladesh. Sent billions more to Pakistan which are then used to fund terrorist activities in India. and some more recently under Covfefe.
    - fooker 9mo ago
      Here's the other one https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathu_La_and_Cho_La_clashes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathu_La_and_Cho_La_clashes
      - woooooo 9mo ago
        "The Defence Ministry of India reported: 88 killed and 163 wounded on the Indian side, while 340 killed and 450 wounded on the Chinese side, during the two incidents.[6][7] According to Chinese claims, the number of soldiers killed was 32 on the Chinese side and 65 on the Indian side in Nathu La incident; and 36 Indian soldiers and an 'unknown' number of Chinese were killed in the Cho La incident.[8] " War might be overstating it a bit, "incident" might be more appropriate, but we can round up in the spirit of comity. So adding it all up, the Chinese had 1-2 small foreign wars per decade in the 50s-70s, zero since 1979. It still doesn't justify the phrasing "threatening all their neighbors" in 2025, aside from Taiwan specifically. In the case of the line of control with India, it's reached the point where they're having ritualized fistfights at high altitude for pride, that's just comical. It's not threatening.
idiotsecant 9mo ago
Haha that little 'during that time' is doing some heavy lifting there. You don't think there might have been some slight lingering resentment and fear that the slouching monster that Japan was during WWII would come back? I think Japan's neighbors might have felt 'pretty bad' too, but it didn't matter. In the end the money wins.
- jacquesm 9mo ago
  You mean just like the rest of Europe does against Germany or Italy? Hint: we don't.
  - idiotsecant 9mo ago
    Are you implying that there wasn't massive resentment toward Germany and italy in postwar Europe?! Wild claim if so.