ic power does not entirely justify this position. To some degree, their position is based on their historical military as well as economic power. In combination with the United States, these three are represented in international organizations, and all have strong political voices, both individually and collectively.
Japan is a newcomer to the world stage both politically and economically. While Germany had the creation of the European Economic Community and the demise of the cold war to put it back into prominence, Japan had neither of these stimuli. After World War II, West Germany, like Japan, also forged a strong economic comeback which gave it world prominence, but it did this in an atmosphere of foreign aid and assistance that came about as the Allies saw the country as a buffer to communism. With the reunification of Germany, West Germany has had to take on the burden of East Germany, with the result that much of its former economic success has been diluted.
Japan's place as a superpower rests nearly entirely on its economic status, however. No
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