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Originally Posted by HOZ
Yes...kind of....Japan was turned into a (and those of us that have been here long enough laugh at it) liberal democratic "democracy". But they have freedoms which were imposed on them.... 
But that said Japan grew from rubble producing low quality cheap goods and now produce the best quality goods.
China on the other hand has risen from "rubble" recently. But they definitely have a different bent. Mercantilism? Without a doubt China is taking a page out of the playbook of past colonizers. Lack of democracy and all about profit. |
Not sure what you are talking about. The Japanese constitution was written with American input but it has been a stable liberal democracy for half a century. How do you "impose" freedom on people? You can only protect freedoms and liberties through legislation and enforcement. Part of what made the Japanese constitution so agreeable to western democracies is that it specifically imposed limits on the power of government, militarism, expansion, etc. in ways which are similar to what you will find in the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The majority of Japanese goods from Japanese companies are made in China now.
It's interesting to note that inflation has skyrocketed in China in recent years but their cost of labour is still largely nonpareil aside from India (which has a chance to supplant China if the inflation continues).
China is not practising mercantile or colonialism. They are not sourcing raw materials from colonies or other countries to turn into manufactured goods in China. They are largely one of the world's largest suppliers of raw materials while at the same time being the largest concentration of manufacturing infrastructure that holds a ridiculous balance of trade advantage over the rest of the world because Western capitalism naturally sought cheaper and cheaper labour which in the end, may undermine the United States. It's a powerful and leveraged imperialism under the guise of oppressive and corrupt one-party rule.