03-27-2006, 08:27 AM
I haven't really been keeping up, but who said Japan was an economic competitor with the US? It definitely isn't. Japan will never be a superpower because it lacks resources such as oil or minerals. As a result, Japan will always depend on trade with other countries, whereas China or the US has all they need right at home. The reason why Japan was able to be an imperial power was because of the people's work ethic and nationalism.