International achievement studies and myths of Japan

In the age of detente and post-cold war realignment of the late twentieth century, emphasis on economic and educational competition have attained a status in the popular consciousness which parallels the emphasis placed on military and colonial expansion in earlier periods.' Modern nations are believed to be engaged in relentless economic competition in the international markets, and education is regarded as a country 's basic form of defense. In the United States, Japan in particular has been depicted as a major competitor; depicted with images of ruthless expansion and limitless consumption (Wolferen, 1989; Fallows, 1989; Johnson, Tyson, Zysman 1989).