很少有一个新兴起的工业国家会像日本在第二次世界大战时那样,面临着那么大的挑战。由于海军大将山本五十六对珍珠港的无情袭击,使得日本人发现他们正在和世界上最强大最有效率的工业国—美国进行一场生死较量。然而前景是可悲的,日本工业在很大程度上要依赖进口的原料。钢铁生产在其最高峰时也只有美国产量的1/13;煤只有1/9。电力输出量从没有达到美国电力输出量的16％。美国在1943年一年所生产的飞机数量比日本在整个战争时期所生产的还多得多—几乎多50％以上。在1944年,即使日本的造船厂竭尽全力,造船的吨位也只及美国的17％。 Few emerging industrial countries will face such a big challenge as Japan did during the Second World War. As the Navy’s relentless attack on Pearl Harbor caused the Japanese to discover that they are engaged in a life-and-death battle with the United States, the world’s most powerful and efficient industrial country. However, the outlook is deplorable. Japanese industry relies heavily on imported raw materials. At its peak, steel production is also only 1/13 of that in the United States; coal is only 1/9. Power output has never reached 16% of U.S. electricity output. The number of aircraft produced in the United States in 1943 was much larger than that produced by Japan during the entire war period — almost 50%. In 1944, even if Japanese shipyards did their best, the tonnage of shipbuilding was only 17% of the United States.