I just got back from my Development Economics class, and it appears that if there is a hopeless country in this world, it is Japan. The only abundant resources seem to be natural disasters and cheap labor, the country is perilously overpopulated and always on the brink of famine, overfishing and deforestation have severely damaged the ecosystem, and the violent political culture seems to preclude any type of development.
So my question is this: is there hope for Japan? If so, what steps do you think Japan should take to develop.