However, Japan is included in this study because it is often viewed as a role model for the more recently industrialized East Asian countries. Furthermore, it provides a specific comparison for TFPG experience. It has been suggested that these three countries have had to overcome similar problems; namely being relatively densely populated while limited in natural resources. The other members of the NIEs, Hong Kong and Singapore, were excluded partly because they face different problems, being small city-states and having no agricultural sectors.