Japan is a country of contradictions. From bullet trains to pioneering robotics, it’s often seen as a land of innovation; but it also has a strong attachment to tradition with practices like hanko. Japan used to be the third largest economy in the world but lost the title to Germany last year. So why is the country falling behind? WSJ’s Peter Landers explains how being fiercely traditional is weighing down Japan’s economy. Chapters: 0:00 Japan’s contradictions 0:34 Old technology 2:40 Stuck in time 4:34 Slow change News Explainers Some days the high-speed news cycle can bring more questions than answers. WSJ’s news explainers break down the day's biggest stories into bite-size pieces to help you make sense of the news. #Japan #Economy #WSJ

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