===Japan===
Scholars in the Weberian tradition have argued that a Protestant-like work ethic found in traditional Japanese religions provided a motivational force in the early stage of Japanese industrialization during the Meiji era. Such an argument is misleading in several respects. No clear evidence indicates that the work ethic is found in traditional Japanese religions. Moreover, an assumption that religion guided the direction of economic development in Japan is more apparent than real. The Japanese business elite borrowed their work ethic from Europe, just as they borrowed the modern European technology.<ref>Moon H. Jo, "Japanese Traditional Values and Industrialization," ''International Social Science Review'' 1987 62(1): 3-13.</ref><ref>[http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-94-007-2387-0_28The Impact of Protestant Christians upon Modern Education in Japan Since the 19th Century]</ref>
American business/work/cultural practices also had an influence on Japan the work of the management consultant W. Edwards Deming has a significant influence on post World War II Japan.<ref>[http://www.qfdi.org/newsletters/deming_in_japan.html Deming Influence on Post-war Japanese Quality Development]</ref><ref>[http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-94-007-2387-0_28The Impact of Protestant Christians upon Modern Education in Japan Since the 19th Century]</ref>