>>Those who theorize the possibility of Japanese capitalism being reformed peacefully--despite some painful short-term adjustments--into a mature, high consumption and slow growth society seriously misunderstand the nature of capital and the violence by which it can only move forward as long as the means of production remain predominantly in private hands.<<
I'd say Japan is a mature, high consumption, slow growth society. However, worldwide industrial overcapacity (e.g., in cars), the commodization of most electronic goods with intense competition from China, S. Korea and Taiwan, aggressive bilateral trade and financial policy from the US (which, for example, shut Japan out of the production of processor chips and OSes for pcs and forced financial liberalization on it), and a chronically overly high yen have all caused it to come to grief. Charles Jannuzi
