This book denies the cultural uniqueness of Japanese industrial relations and economy, characterised by permanent employment, seniority wages and enterprise unionism. The author provides an entirely new explanation of Japanese workers' high morale and Japan's impressive economic performance which, he argues, results from skilled employees working against a background of high technology. The argument of the book is based on intensive field-work, consisting of a series of interviews with veteran workers on the shop floor, and on an explicit comparative study between the USA and Japan.