Quality of Japanese Products Deteriorating?
I'm not sure what to make of this New York Times article on the decline in the quality of Japanese goods. Often such pieces are written after two or three notable cases are suddenly labeled a trend by journalists eager (or desperate) to find something to write about. The article cites Toyota and Sony as major culprits in quality decline. But the former's reputation, at least in the US, does not appear to be suffering the least bit, and the latter has had business problems for some time.

During my time in Japan during the Eighties, Japanese would often tell me that their vaunted reputation for quality excellence applied only to goods destined for export, and that the product quality of items destined for domestic consumption wasn't that high. It may be that with globalization trends this distinction is now blurred, and that a laptop battery is not easily labeled as Japanese or foreign. It may also be that the Japanese now have higher standards for domestic companies and the goods they produce for their countrymen and women.

The article cites the nefarious effects of Western influences, both business and cultural, on Japanese society. But it may be that Sony, Toyota, and other big firms are intrinsically less purely Japanese companies, that both staffs and product components are more international than they once were, and that Japanese firms are more exposed to external influences than they were 20 years ago.