Back then, anyone could tell that Japan was a backward, resource-poor nation going nowhere - and Brazil, with its all its natural wealth, was the country of the future.

BBC: Brazil: No reverso

As global trade took off again in the 1960s, the idea that a nation, especially a smaller or more backward one, could wall itself off and come out ahead lost respectability.

FORBES: Magazine Article

"This is an election to decide on the nation's direction - to go forward or to go backward, " Mr Noda said of the election set for 16 December.

BBC: Japan PM Yoshihiko Noda set for general election