Japan likes to present itself as the world's shining example of rapid economic development, the "postwar miracle." The government's extensive overseas development aid is more than just the gesture of noblesse oblige expected of the world's No. 2 economic power. It is an assertion of everything that is excellent about Japan as a nation of people with a talent for collective self-improvement.
But as the recession stretches into its second decade, it becomes more obvious that the miracle has morphed into malaise. Intractable social problems fill the news programs. And despite the improved standard of living enjoyed by most Japanese, quality of life still lags behind the West.
Housing is exorbitantly priced and often substandard. Urban planning and the rural environment are woefully compromised by self-serving commercial and bureaucratic interests.
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