Chinese and Japanese Development Process Compared: Economic and Politico-Economic Perspectives

Economic development can be defined in various ways, but when we talk about comparisons of development processes and outcomes across politically different nations, it seems a useful and effective tool to draw comparisons from two perspectives: development in the narrow sense or purely economic perspectives, and in the broad sense or broader politico-economic perspectives. In this chapter, we first set up an analytical framework for studies on comparative development, referring to the trend of development economics. We then attempt to provide an overview of the several characteristics of China’s development process and outcomes vis-à-vis Japan’s long-run development experiences since the Meiji Restoration, and particularly since the end of WWII. Finally, we select two specific aspects to contrast the economic development of both countries: the rural–urban divide and developmentalism. Considerations of these aspects led us to conclude that there are essential differences in the development trajectories between China and Japan. Although China’s development experiences include many similarities with the Japanese development path, its economic development has been deeply colored by “politics in command,” while Japan’s development policies and institutions have been basically “market in command.”