Abstract:

As the people of Japan enbter the 21st century, they are trying to recover from the bursting of their economic "bubble" in the 1980's. While their success has come from the export of their industrial products, they have been importing ideas from other nations. Ideas in the arts, music, even in fashions. They have succeeded in becoming one of the richest industrialized nations in the world...in spite of having few natural resources, and being unable to raise enough food for their large population.