ndency on superiors in Japanese society, but at the same time one must not disregard the specific circumstances and timing of the Japanese entry into industrialization.However at the same time the role of the Japanese Zaibatsu or huge industrial conglomerates and the nature of the Japanese Industrial landscape with corporatised unions, worker loyalty all suggest an underlying 'Neo-Confucian' value system within the countries economic and business relations. It could be said that the Zaibatsu have been given a kind of economic 'mandate of heaven' such is their domination of the economic landscape. Japan, as such, can be seen as the most Confucian society in the modern sense.Korea and Taiwan can be examined in tandem for the similarities in their economic development are many. They are also considered the small Confucian states who were very much shaped by not only their larger neighbours of Japan and China respectively; but also by US presence in the region during the cold war.There are unique adaptations of Confucian traditions present in each of the states. Korea has developed into a bold "risk taking culture" with a strong element of "social solidarity". Korea has combined the purposefulness of the Japanese model with the elitist sense of virtue of the Chinese seen in their Yangban class or Chaebol (huge conglomerates). There are strong elements of "virtuocracy" which has created an insecurity that in turn produced a people who were self starters.18However the context in which these economies flourished is a more important factor in examining the success. Within the cold war and post-cold war contexts both states received enormous amounts of US aid while playing roles in the strategy of containment. The US to a greater extent shaped the economic landscapes of both economies through initiating land reform and export-led economic growth. There were massive infusions of US economic aid that opened markets for Taiwan manufacturers. In Kor...
