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The Reasons Why Japan Became a Technological Wonderland

By Terrence Green 0
Tokyo

When you see all of the technological marvels that the Japanese people have done on the news, you would think that Japan is a country straight from the future that’s…

When you see all of the technological marvels that the Japanese people have done on the news, you would think that Japan is a country straight from the future that’s even more advanced than the current world-leading superpower nations, i.e., the United States of America, Germany, China, and Russia. It’s not far from the truth. In fact, it may even be the truth, so to speak, but how come a country that has been nuked twice managed to rise from its ashes and become a technological wonderland? Let’s check out the reasons:

Industrialization

After losing WWII, Japan focused on industrialization to recover the heavy expenses they spent on war efforts and give families a way to earn money and survive the poor economic state. At the time, the United States of America made a treaty with Japan and even helped them get back on their feet by providing stimulus and subsidies to improve Japan’s industry and businesses. Thus, Japan was on its way to becoming the leading industrialist country in the world.

Family Business Conglomerates

Toyota

Japan had many Zaibatsus or family business conglomerates like Toyota, Mitsubishi, Yasuda, Sumimoto, etc. That made Japan gain international recognition because of its advanced electronic goods such as cars appliances, engineering equipment, and so forth. This made technology a thriving industry, and so it begins the technology era in Japan that sparked the birth of many famous brands, e.g., Toshiba, Panasonic, Sharp, LG, Nintendo, and many more. 

Steady Research Funding

Japan has invested heavily in scientific research after the Meiji restoration era, and it was a well-paid investment strategy that made the country what it is now. Japan’s steady research funding became the impetus that shaped Japan’s futuristic society that we all know and loves today as it continuously promotes the development of scientific research and technological advancement to the point that the industry became independent and self-stimulating.

Military Abolishment

As part of the treaty with the United States after losing WWII, Japan has abolished its military power and became an industrious country that is much more rewarding than a country that spent fortunes on rearmament and national defense. The number of resources the military consumes previously was allocated to fund research and develop technologies that incentivize the nation’s economy to the point that they became the third world’s largest economy.

Utilization of Nuclear Energy

Nuclear Reactor

Japan strived for energy independence ever since they lost the war because the cost of energy of post-war Japan was exorbitant given the rise of manufacturing factories and tech companies. The country begins to cut imported fuel and intensively researched nuclear energy to be independent in the energy sector, and currently, there are nine nuclear reactors in the country that generated up to 40 percent of Japan’s electricity, making them a technology sound nation.

The Takeaway

Many countries in the world, both developing and developed, can learn from Japan’s story as it managed to crawl back from chaos and ruins to become one of the world’s largest economies. When we focus so much on military armament, we are sacrificing the potential to grow our industries and businesses. It should have been the other way around, and war should never be a priority in the future.…