Before the era of 'China-Bashing', another Asian economic powerhouse faced its own share of skepticism – Japan. In the early 1980s, Japan's meteoric rise triggered widespread unease and criticism among American lawmakers and the general public. Federal officials went to extreme lengths, famously destroying Toshiba products in the wake of a corporate scandal. This apprehension even manifested in popular culture, with movies such as Blade Runner and Back to the Future Part II projecting a fear of Japanese businesses and culture permeating American society.
