Similarities Of China And Japan

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The countries of China and Japan share many similarities other than their geographical proximity. They both have and established rich cultures and great senses of national unity that rival and exceed that of their western counterparts. Both civilizations have crossed paths during several periods in the last thousand years, in which there similarities between religious and ethical moralities have heavily influenced one another. However despite these similarities in the last century, these nations have taken two extremely different views in creating a modernized state. What created this divergence are the extreme differences in the upbringings of each countries respective economic policy. Chinese civilization has truly withstood the test of time, existing as long ago as 2200BC. Before the 20th century China was a world leader in the fine arts and sciences. Unfortunately foreign occupation by the Japanese, and famine crippled the nation for many years giving way to new ideologies of the west. Communism found its way into the heart of the Chinese political system, which allowed China to become a sovereign nation, but at the expense of the people’s freedom. After this era of dictatorship modernization found its way into China in the 1970s. The country traded its planned socialism to a more marketed style socialism which would help China emerge into the superpower it is today. By decentralizing some economic decision making, China was still able to maintain political control. China’s large population allowed it to be a source for cheap labor, tremendously boosting its GDP, which eventually placed it as the number two economic power of our modern world today. Both Japan and China have proven themselves to be autonomous nations that have ... ... middle of paper ... ...s such as semi-conductors for automobiles, and chemicals. Its Imports totaled $350 billion which included fuels, textiles, and food products. Due to Japans rocky terrain agriculture makes up on 1% of its GDP. China reported exports of $232 billion and imports of $197 billion. Exports include footwear, toys, and sporting goods. Imports include machinery, iron, and steel. Obviously these exports and imports also show the difference in tier workforces both nations hold. Only 26% of the Chinese labor force works in the service industry while Japan boasts 65%. This is most likely brought about from China’s planned socialism policies. Both governments economic planning also severely affects each populace’s standards of living. Because of Japanese free enterprise, consumers have more freedom in allocating their savings into enjoying more non-essential commercial products.

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