[squiffy]

Japanese companies invest. Individual Japanese workers do not.

There is a difference between Bank of America or Bank of Japan and John Smith or Kenichi Tanaka.

John Smith has a 401k and invests in the stock market. Individual U.S. investment in stocks has grown a lot over the past 30 years.

You will find that in Japan, the average person is much less likely to own stocks.

Read a few books on the Japanese government and economy.

I am saying the average American is taller than the average Japanese. There are differences. You are saying some Japanese are tall. Both are true. But culturally, politically, and economically a lot of differences too numerous to describe here.

Do you know about the Liberal Democratic Party in Japan? Not really a two party system as we have here. Much more corruption.

Lots of ties between Yakuza and government officials etc.

Yes America has corruption. But overall, it's much worse in Japan, the Phillipines, and Mexico.

First, America has a lot more natural wealth to spread around, land, natural resources per capital. Second, we have a lot more checks and balances in our government.

Remember the Mexican president Salinas who was actually implicated, through his brother, in drug money and murder. Yes, we have Richard Nixon, but as far as I know he didnt take money from drug lords or have any political rival or dissident bumped off.