Actually, Japan built quite good-quality products before WWII. Their output was somewhat dicey after WWII, I think, largely because they were still rebuilding their manufacturing capability. By the mid-'60's, their quality was top-notch, while U.S. manufacturers had discovered "planned obsolescence" (read Vance Packard's book, The Waste Makers).


I'm not sure what you mean. They are, of course, testing the market in order to determine what they can "get by" with. I doubt that they're any less capable of manufacturing top-quality products than the labor force in any other country. However, it costs more to do that, and, if major consumers, notably the U.S, will accept low quality, there's no realy benefit in exporting higher quality than what the U.S. consumer will buy.


Yes, the PRC is somewhat of a hybrid between communism and fascism. The government, rather than maintaining close relations with the labor force, simply keeps the labor force under its heels, while doing whatever is necessary to promote its close relationship with business/industry. They don't seem to have much respect for human rights at all, nor do they have much respect for intellectual property rights. Once they start developing intellectual property of their own, it's likely their attitudes with respect to that will change. As their labor force incorporates more of their population, i.e. as the presently agricultural regions become engaged in the growth in manufacturing, wages will rise. As wages rise, the laboring people will recognize their own power, and, as a result, will demand better treatment from the government.



If their national government finds a way to reign in the corrupt practices in their provincial and local governments, their quality of manufactured goods, and their labor force's quality of life, will, it is my hope, improve.

RE