The primary symbol of Japan's postwar economic miracle is surely the sarariman. The devastation of World War II galvanized Japanese white-collar workers, known as"salarymen," who created a gleaming new Japan from the rubble of defeat. Bureaucrats and factory workers have also tolled in the work of reconstruction, but it is the corporate foot soldier who has helped spread Japan's economic power to every comer of the world.

Although today the term "salaryman" refers to anyone who receives a regular paycheck, it has traditionally meant the white-collar worker. What has set the sarariman apart from his counterparts in other countries is commitment and loyalty to the firm. In the twenty years after the war, these men who built the economic miracle Joined corporations such as Mitsubishi or Sumitomo, confident that they would stay on until retirement. They gave their hearts to the company and made it the most important thing in their lives. Their commitment is reminiscent of the feudal ties of mutual loyalty that bound the samurai warriors to their retainers in 16th-century Japan.

In return, they received the blessings that Japanese management often showers on its loyal workers: job security, automatic promotions and an astonishing array of fringe benefits. These include cut-rate company housing and company commissaries, company vacation resorts, company athletic facilities and even, for blue-collar workers, a company marriage bureau. One well-known electronics company has a common grave site to ensure togetherness in the afterlife.

Office mates become a second family. Salarymen spend the hours after work in otsukiai (keeping company). Central to otsukiaiis the ritual of drink, in which the colleagues let off steam, form deep friendships and talk over the work of the day. The purpose of otsukiai is community-building, and companies often pay the tab.

At the office, loyalty means putting in extra hours. Twelve-hour days are routine, although the last three hours are often spent at a bar in otsukiai. Though Japan is officially moving toward a five-day work week, many Japanese still work "half" a day on Saturday and do not bother to take their vacation.

This unparalleled commitment to work has made Japan master of one industry after another. It earns respect and, especially from Southeast Asians, even fear. Americans and Europeans despair of matching Japanese industriousness and suggest that the Japanese work less and play more. Partly to appease us, even the Japanese government has recently taken up the call.

... most Japanese working in large companies are extremely loyal and diligent. For years to come, they are likely to keep Japan fiercely competitive.