ABSTRACT
The expansion of West em civilization since the 19th century was, and is still, a considerable challenge for the rest of the world. Reactions of various cultures against this challenge have been quite different. Some of them have reacted passively; some have even lost their cultural identity. But one exception to this is the East Asian culture comprising countries such as China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. All these countries have reacted against the challenge very actively ever since the beginning, causing the West to gradually lose its superior position as a challenger. (a) Japan has now become one of the leading industrial countries. It is
economically second only to the United States; and it is the most successful of those capitalist countries which do not belong culturally to the West.
