>>7
They wouldn't be in as dire straights as they are if there weren't huge tariff barriers, unreasonably high consumer price indices, laws against foreign capital investment, stagnant social mobility and poor primary and secondary education. Not to mention the disaster that is the Japanese banking system. Yes, protectionism is one reason for Japan's recent underperformance. If the Japanese labor market didn't have such a large pool of unemployed people to draw from the Sony lay offs would not have been nearly as bad as they are.