'Dominating' doesn't seem like the appropriate word to apply to Japan right now? From Wikipedia:
Japan's asset price bubble collapse in 1991 led to a period of economic stagnation known as the "lost decade", sometimes now extended as the "lost 20 years." From 1995 to 2007, GDP fell from $5.33 trillion to $4.36 trillion in nominal terms. Japan today has the highest ratio of public debt to GDP of any developed nation, with national debt at 236% relative to GDP as of 2017. This debt is predominantly owned by Japanese nationals. The Japanese economy faces considerable challenges posed by an ageing and declining population, which peaked at 128 million in 2010 and has fallen to 126.5 million as of 2018. Projections suggest the population will continue to fall to potentially lower than 100 million by the middle of the 21st century.
Economies are complex. It's not clear that punishingly long hours at work are an advantage.
Honestly, it’s a cultural divide which probably won’t go away.
I know someone who works at a German owned branch for a manufacturer in Taiwan. The previous Taiwanese head guy got let go because for years they would be very behind schedule for deliveries. Like months behind.
So new big boss is a German. He gave a big talk to introduce himself to the factory. One of his main points was to reward productivity, KPI shouldn’t be the only metric, whatever. He recommended a book called The Lazy Project Manager and emphasized that this is the mindset he wants everyone to be in.
Funny thing is, the Taiwanese engineers kind of zoned out on everything he said but perked up at the word “lazy” in the book title. To cut to the chase, the factory thinks the new boss is lazy.
The hard working mentality is very deeply ingrained out here.
'Dominating' doesn't seem like the appropriate word to apply to Japan right now? From Wikipedia:
Japan's asset price bubble collapse in 1991 led to a period of economic stagnation known as the "lost decade", sometimes now extended as the "lost 20 years." From 1995 to 2007, GDP fell from $5.33 trillion to $4.36 trillion in nominal terms. Japan today has the highest ratio of public debt to GDP of any developed nation, with national debt at 236% relative to GDP as of 2017. This debt is predominantly owned by Japanese nationals. The Japanese economy faces considerable challenges posed by an ageing and declining population, which peaked at 128 million in 2010 and has fallen to 126.5 million as of 2018. Projections suggest the population will continue to fall to potentially lower than 100 million by the middle of the 21st century.
Economies are complex. It's not clear that punishingly long hours at work are an advantage.