>> And no, I'm not being facetious. I have quite literally /no clue/ about the workings of economies and such. <<

Neither do economists. Economics is too heavily influenced by things that are hard to model or measure, such as human behavior, human impressions, etc. That is the biggest variable. Thus, economists have not much more of a clue than a bartender.

Regarding Japan, part of their problem is that they don't want to give up some of their traditions. Americans are more likely to toss the pass if it gets in their way (We even toss the past out of sheer boredom).