Until the late 80s/early 90s, it seemed almost inevitable that Japan would supplant the US as the world's dominant economic power. Your job is to ensure that such an event becomes reality, and if so, what it would do to the world's geopolitical structure?
This is easier if Japan holds Korea and Taiwan and never started the 1937 war with China.
That's why I went with the idea of having the USA and China having their populations decline through a Third World War of sorts against the USSR, though you might have a point about the population issue with Japan.I don't think what the OP asks for is possible with Japan being well, an island which already has problems with living space for its population. Said population therefore can't really increase, and without an increase there is no way for Japan to surpass the US or China.
Population has little to do with GDP. The Soviet Union had more people than the USA during the Cold War. China and India have always had more people. Japan had a larger economy by FAR over the PRC for over 50 years. With technology and automation, which the Japanese are at the forefront in, labor is becoming less and less important to the economy. Which is why the PRC is less interested in being the cheapest labor nation and instead on growing a middle class while they can now, good times for nations which have low labor costs will be ending in this century. When labor costs are no longer a consideration, do you put your business in Burma or South Korea, or in American terms- Alabama or New York?I don't think what the OP asks for is possible with Japan being well, an island which already has problems with living space for its population. Said population therefore can't really increase, and without an increase there is no way for Japan to surpass the US or China.
Population has little to do with GDP. The Soviet Union had more people than the USA during the Cold War. China and India have always had more people. Japan had a larger economy by FAR over the PRC for over 50 years. With technology and automation, which the Japanese are at the forefront in, labor is becoming less and less important to the economy. Which is why the PRC is less interested in being the cheapest labor nation and instead on growing a middle class while they can now, good times for nations which have low labor costs will be ending in this century. When labor costs are no longer a consideration, do you put your business in Burma or South Korea, or in American terms- Alabama or New York?
The only way it would ever be possible is if they got 1980s market access, plus still have their colonial empire and no WW2. Otherwise known as ASB. It is impossible without magical intervention.Until the late 80s/early 90s, it seemed almost inevitable that Japan would supplant the US as the world's dominant economic power. Your job is to ensure that such an event becomes reality, and if so, what it would do to the world's geopolitical structure?
Remember in the 1980s when Japanese people would buying up property everywhere? China is doing the same thing in Africa now.You know maybe you can have a Japan that can invest in overseas agricultural areas in undeveloped countries with all that large money similar to how South Korea does IOTL to deal with the population problem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neocolonialism#South_Korea.27s_land_acquisitions
It did not ever seem that way to anyone other than the working class in America who didnt know anything other than they saw the rust belt rusting and Japanese products everywhere. The truth is that Japan was at its best had half the GDP of the USA (or at that point I suppose we would have been using GNP for statistical purposes). There was no risk of the Japanese surpassing the US. That was a myth used to scare the public for political purposes.Until the late 80s/early 90s, it seemed almost inevitable that Japan would supplant the US as the world's dominant economic power. Your job is to ensure that such an event becomes reality, and if so, what it would do to the world's geopolitical structure?
The problem was that Japanese corporate culture was smarter when it came to international competition; US corporations didn't funnel money back into production processes to keep themselves globally competitive, which is why the steel and auto industries were smashed by Japanese competition. The CEOs blamed American workers and consumers for not being hardworking and patriotic enough to buy their crap, not wanting to accept it was their own greed and poor management that led to them getting murdered on the international markets. It's ironic given how much gloating the US did about the inefficiencies of the USSR by not exposing their production to international competition, only to then be hammered by the Germans and Japanese and require bailouts from the government. Now it is China the is filling the role Japan once did, while Japan had experienced the problems of it's own corporate management and labor policies/lack of immigration.It did not ever seem that way to anyone other than the working class in America who didnt know anything other than they saw the rust belt rusting and Japanese products everywhere. The truth is that Japan was at its best had half the GDP of the USA (or at that point I suppose we would have been using GNP for statistical purposes). There was no risk of the Japanese surpassing the US. That was a myth used to scare the public for political purposes.
The problem was that Japanese corporate culture was smarter when it came to international competition; US corporations didn't funnel money back into production processes to keep themselves globally competitive, which is why the steel and auto industries were smashed by Japanese competition. The CEOs blamed American workers and consumers for not being hardworking and patriotic enough to buy their crap, not wanting to accept it was their own greed and poor management that led to them getting murdered on the international markets. It's ironic given how much gloating the US did about the inefficiencies of the USSR by not exposing their production to international competition, only to then be hammered by the Germans and Japanese and require bailouts from the government. Now it is China the is filling the role Japan once did, while Japan had experienced the problems of it's own corporate management and labor policies/lack of immigration.