Japan

THE COUNTRY OF JAPAN has developed the second-largest economy in the world. Yet its industrialization and economic development happened very rapidly, and in a context of previously extended isolationism from the rest of the world. As a result, many of the systems and practices developed in Japan, which were suitable for earlier periods of its development, have been found to be out of step with modern, international business practices. The method of development adopted was one that stressed the cooperation between all members of society (business, people, and government) in ways which can appear to be collusive and corrupt. Together with these practices, are aspects of Japanese society such as the yakuza (organized crime) which appear to represent obvious cases of organized crime.