Battle for The Future: The U.S. vs. Japan in Technology

Unless the U.S. can match Japan's all-out research effort, the race to dominate 21st century technology may be over before it has begun

If a modern-day Rip Van Winkle were to fall into a deep sleep for the next ten or 20 years, he might wake up to the whoosh of trains being propelled through the air by superconducting magnets. He might observe crowds of commuters toting supercomputers the size of magazines. In average homes, he might see 7-ft. TV images as crisp as 35-mm slides and enticing new food products concocted in the lab. But if he could read the labels on those futuristic creations, he might also discover the outcome of America's struggle to remain the leading technological superpower. Sad to say,...

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