Japan has a huge welfare state? I don't suppose you have a link that backs up your assertion? If you cut and paste, try to keep it under 10,000 words. Thanks.
Are you still claiming that China's $1.8 trillion GDP means they're doing better than the U.S. with our $13 trillion GDP?
Not in the sense of Sweden, but yes, they do a lot that is classified as welfare state promotional activity, with massive restrictions...and subsidies... that favor mom and pop stores, small agrarian farms, life-time employment etc. Note this study's (and its a real study, not like lowcountryjoes) conclusions:
The results of this study indicate that the low level of social inequality derived from the long-standing policies of the Jiminto governments to protect self employers and to invest in public works as well as the life-time employment practice of the Japanese firms. Such policies and practice could be implemented only because market-oriented social forces were dominant for a long time in the Japanese society. Since people had to take part in the labor market to get more equally treated, Japan exhibited the characteristics of the liberal welfare state.