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How did Japan catch‐up with the West? Some implications of recent revisions to Japan's historical growth record

Abstract:
Revised GDP data suggest that Japan was more than one‐third richer in 1874 than suggested by Maddison, and that Meiji period growth built on earlier development. Despite trend GDP per capita growth during the Tokugawa Shogunate, the catching‐up process only started after 1890 with respect to Britain, and after World War I with respect to the United States. Although catching‐up was driven by productivity growth in manufacturing, Japanese export success also depended on limiting the growth of real wages. Despite claims of a distinctive Asian path of labour‐intensive industrialisation, capital played an important role in the catching‐up process.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1111/aehr.70012

Authors


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Institution:
University of Oxford
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0003-2846-8193
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Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0001-5991-4374


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Funder identifier:
https://ror.org/00ev6sa36
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Funder identifier:
https://ror.org/021aawt29


Publisher:
Wiley
Journal:
Asia-Pacific Economic History Review More from this journal
Publication date:
2025-10-12
Acceptance date:
2025-09-24
DOI:
EISSN:
2832157X
ISSN:
2832157X


Language:
English
Keywords:
Source identifiers:
3365657
Deposit date:
2025-10-13
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