I've been thinking on this for some time, and I would have to say "yes." I think that the Japanese economic and social system beats American society in most respects. I won't deny that there are problems in Japan, but they're not nearly as bad as here. In less than two decades, Japan transitioned from a feudal society into a modern nation. It was flattened in WW2, but is now one of the wealthiest nations (and I will give credit to the US for providing the nest egg).
Consider for a moment that the recession has affected the Japanese economy a lot more than ours. Their stocks collapsed in the last 1990's, but there are very few layoffs. There was an icebreaking vessel division that almost went under. The corporation gave them 10 years to find a profitable program. After several misses, that division started making indoor beaches and found its niche. Not ONE SINGLE employee was laid off. In the US, most of the lower-level employees would have been let go. The Japanese believe in skilled, experienced workers who are proud of their job, rather than in outsourcing everything to save money. They also have a huge middle-class that is continuing to expand.
In America, hundreds of thousands of people were axed. My Dad has a master's degree (he's a consultant), but he hasn't found skilled employment in months. I know people who just got out of the military, and they'll probably have to re-enlist because the only place that's hiring is McDonald's. America has replaced its engineers and scientists with burger flippers and Wal-Mart greeters. In another 30 years, there might not even be a middle-class in America. The rich get richer while the poor remain poor. After I get my own master's, I will try to emigrate to South Africa or Australia. I believe my skills will actually be appreciated there.
Part of this can be attributed to the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). Under MITI's guidance, Nippon Steel became the second-biggest steel producer in the world. It also enabled the Japanese color TV industry to annihilate its American counterpart (dumping, I know). MITI isn't socialist; it merely steers the private companies to a common goal. If America had something like MITI, we'd probably not be in such a fix. It basically would have told the fat cats, "No, you can't outsource your entire tech support division to India. If you do that, thousands of Americans will be out of a job. So what if you can't buy your fifth summer house?"
That brings up another point. Japanese CEO's make only about 30 times the salary of a new employee. In America, CEO's award themselves (and their frat brothers/golf buddies/polo team) OBSCENE sums of money. I think the American CEO typically makes 200! times the starting salary. Talk about avarice. Yes, I am aware that corporate crime exists in Japan, and that political scandals happen often. But it's always reported. Enron, Tyco, and Worldcom were only reported because they were so blatant.
Do we have any Japanese board members who can contribute first-hand experience? I would love to live in Japan, if it wasn't for the fact that a.) I don't speak Japanese, and b.) I'm a foreign devil.