A game of leapfrog
South Korea may soon be richer than Japan
THE Tokyo Sky Tree, a broadcasting and observation tower that will officially open on May 22nd, is 634 metres high (2,080 feet), making it the tallest building in Asia. Is this Japan's last bid to stay on top? For years, Japan was Asia's richest and most powerful economy. It was the first Asian economy to industrialise, and the emerging Asian tigers—Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and later China—merely followed in its tracks. Now, however, Japan is steadily being overtaken.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline "A game of leapfrog"
From the April 28th 2012 edition
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