India at crossroads with the US : drawing parallels from JAPAN
The Japan Story — From Boom to Bubble to Lost Decades From Postwar Ruins to an Economic Miracle In the aftermath of World War II, Japan was devastated—its industrial base shattered, cities destroyed, and economy in ruins. The United States, driven by a strategic imperative to contain communism during the Cold War, stepped in not only with financial aid but also with institutional and policy guidance. This included: Breaking up powerful monopolies (zaibatsu) into smaller, competitive firms. Introducing Western management practices and corporate governance structures. Integrating Japanese industries into U.S.-led global supply chains. Japan's population, united by the pressing need to rebuild, embraced discipline and innovation. The result was extraordinary: by the 1970s and 1980s, Japan had become an industrial and export powerhouse — especially in cars, electronics, and precision machinery. An often-cited example of its economic moment: Tokyo land values were estimated to exceed th...