There is nothing wrong, of course, with a country’s questioning its direction and wanting to preserve many of its traditional values. Moreover, Japan isn’t likely to revert to the collusive(诡秘的) and anticompetitive policies of the past. The reform process has gone too far, and corporate behavior has changed too dramatically. But given the magnitude (巨大) of the fiscal and financial challenges ahead, even a slight slowing of the government’s deregulatory efforts and private-sector restructuring could create an eventual disaster. Now’s not the time for Japan to rest on its laurels.