's economy, it is rapid, unceasing change. Japan is dependent on the outside world for most of its raw materials (including 99 percent of its oil). It is far more vulnerable than America or most West Eurooean countries to the vicissitudes of the international marketplace. To compensate, the Japanese have made many wrenching adjustments-mostly ignored and seldom imitated in the West. Over the past 36 years, only through great adaptability and continued domestic competition has Japan been able to...