This book investigates whether the manipulation of culture, rather than inherent cultural traits, served as the primary driver for Japan's modern industrialization. Ian Inkster, an established scholar in economic history, challenges the conventional view that Japan's historical competitiveness stemmed from fixed cultural characteristics. By analyzing the intersection of technology transfer and state-led development, he argues that what is often perceived as a static 'private enterprise culture' was actually a product of deliberate cultural engineering designed to facilitate rapid modernization.

Experts recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of Japanese economic history and the sociology of development. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous framework for understanding the complexities of industrial policy and cultural adaptation.