Conclusion
Japan, like the rest of the world, has been greatly hit by recession since 1990. Although many Japanese industrial leaders do not openly say so, they are now experiencing many problems familiar in the West. Rehfeld[11, pp. 230- 31] advocates that some of them are handicapped by the arrogance that too often grows out of success. He also suggests that success has changed Japan and many top executives spend less time listening and learning and more time talking and lecturing. Today, they are facing the decline in work ethic, especially among the young, and the new breed of worker – the shinjinru (or “new people”) – has appeared. As Cole[23] relates, Japanese companies are finding that they can more effectively recruit younger workers if they promise them shorter working hours. Sheer unquestioned obedience is being challenged. It may be, as Brown et al.[24] point out, a reaction against karoshi, death from overwork, which is estimated at 10,000 cases a year. However, as Levy[25] illustrates, in spite of the current downturn and possible ending of the economic “miracle”, Japan’s great strengths still lie in manufacturing, research and development as well as their methods of finance