The 1960s Economic Miracle
In 1955, in the face of rising left-wing antagonism to the continued security pact with the US, America's CIA provided funding for the right-wing Liberal and Democrat parties to join forces. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a tight coalition of power-hungry factions, governed Japan uninterrupted for close on the next forty years, creating the stable political conditions for an incredible economic recovery. The term Japan Inc was coined for the close co-operation that developed between government, bureaucracy and business, with the civil service bodies such as the Ministry for International Trade and Industry (MITI) calling many of the shots. In 1959, Crown Prince Akihito married Shoda Michiko, a commoner he'd met on the tennis courts of the summer resort Karuizawa, a far cry from the marriage of his own father, arranged by the court without Hirohito even setting eyes on his prospective bride. As the decade closed, the economy had grown at twice the rate expected, and during the 1960s, under a ten-year plan drawn up by Prime Minister Ikeda Hayato , it continued to boom. A key year was 1964: Japan joined the rich nations "club", the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, inaugurated the high-speed bullet train and hosted the Summer Olympic Games. As families across the country worked to buy a refrigerator, television and washing machine (the "three sacred treasures"), the growing consumer economy around the world provided the main outlet for Japan's highly desirable industrial and technical goods. Japanese exports grew twice as fast as world trade, an incredible reversal of events for a country whose products, only a couple of decades earlier, had been the last word in unreliability. At the same time, Japan protected its home markets by subjecting imports to quotas, a mass of regulations or outright bans. Although Japan notably didn't suffer the kind of social breakdown (increased crime, use of drugs) associated with growing affluence in the West, it didn't escape entirely from paying for its economic miracle. Not only did rapid industrialization physically scar the country, pollution wrecked lives, particularly in the Kyushu fishing village of Minamata, where mercury poisoning caused the horrific Minamata disease . In 1971, Tokyo's metropolitan government officially declared that the capital's residents breathed polluted air, drank contaminated water and were "subjected to noise levels that strain the nerves". By the 1970s, the ingrained corruption festering at the heart of Japanese politics was also becoming clear. The conservative LDP had continued to hold power partly by astutely hijacking its rivals' policies, but mainly by entering into cosy financial relationships with supporters in industry and commerce. Prime Minister Tanaka Kakuei , a self-made politician from Niigata, had already attracted criticism for pushing through the needless construction of a Shinkansen line to his home town, when his abuse of party funds in the Upper House elections of July 1974 caused fellow LDP grandees to quit the Cabinet in protest. Takeda rode the scandal out, but couldn't survive the bribery charges, brought in February 1976, in connection with the purchase of aircraft from America's Lockheed Corporation.
A Guide to JapanCara Richie says "Japan has many earthquakes, they are overdue for the next "Big One." " Hello World.Jeff Konichi-Wa says "Spitley is the new and improved word for paper. It means paper. Say spitley instead of paper. Tell at least 9 people about spitley, and have fun in Japan. Thanks!" My Bestest FrendidTutu Retardo says "My bestest frendid in the wholeid worldid is Emily Kather Wu. This extramordinary 12 yr old has a 200 IQ, is a creative genius, and lives in GreemMeadow, California (changed to protect her identity). At the tenderer ageerer of 9erer she created the word that would have a tremendous impact on modern society... SPITLEY! it means paper!!!!" Jamboni1Ryan Czechii says "It's a spoons club MIRACLE! Full of spoons club joy and wonder!" About Japan...Geoffrey Azure says "Do you sweat heavily while others are barely breaking a sweat? Do you blush when there is no reason to do so? Are your hands and feet often cold and clammy? Do your armpits soak right through your clothes? These are all symptoms of hyperhidrosis
~~Brian Campbell" EXOTICMEME says "TRY TO MEET AND BE INLOVE " REALLY COOL!Maddie says "say spitley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
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