Surprisingly, 20.3 percent of the companies responded that they planned to expand their Asian operations despite the crisis. Only 1.3 percent said that they planned to withdraw from Asia. This MITI report well illustrates Japan's long term economic commitment to Asia. Even with the worst economic crisis to hit Asia in fifty years, Japan still has the fortitude and vision to remain and expand in Asia. Japan's economic integration into Asia goes beyond trade.
Japan is the first non-Western country to reach first world status.
Beyond modern sports and pop culture, Japan has retained and nurtured its own cultural heritage. Other Asian nations have observed that they, too, can modernize while still retaining their heritage and not having to embrace everything Western. Business leaders, government leaders and think tanks offer various visions for the future. The key point, however, that all seem to agree on is closer cooperation and integration. This next section will explore different visions put forth by various groups.