Well, the economies of faraway countries have indirect effects on the economies here, especially in this day and age where the wallets of countries are all tied

Well, the economies of faraway countries have indirect effects on the economies here, especially in this day and age where the wallets of countries are all tied to each other. But for something more concrete, the Japanese mobile sector and robotics sector have more acceptance and dare-I-say-enthusiasm than American(or European--with the exception of the Nordic countries for mobile) ones. That's nothing new, and any scan through the headlines in the last 10 years will tell you that. But of these two I mentioned, mobile phones would have the better potential of infiltrating US markets--especially those catering to pop culture. For anyone looking to do mobile phones, the Japanese have been pretty innovative with their mobile phone use. Currently, phones and phone networks are somewhat walled inside a country. But if those ever come down, Japan's mobile services are something to watch out for. Threats most dangerous are the ones you're not paying attention to, and the article is merely mentioning that in a long winded way focused mostly on economics and politics.