China has far surpassed Japan in economics, financially, militarily and technologically. Japan has nothing to compete with China.
China has more brands than Japan in global lists based on revenue (opinion doesn't matter, facts do). Japanese brands were relevant in the 1980's but pretty much all Japanese brands except Toyota and Sony are making massive losses and are irrelevant nowadays. Chinese brands are on the up taking marketshare from its global rivals. While Japanese brands did have their 15 seconds of fame during the 1980's and 1990's, Japan Inc is dying just like the Japanese economy.
Chinese economy is double that of Japan.
Chinese household wealth has surpassed Japan.
China has enormous natural resources which Japan doesn't have.
China is a bigger manufacturer than Japan.
China has a bigger consumer market than Japan.
China is a bigger exporter than Japan.
China is a bigger importer than Japan.
China is a bigger trading nation than Japan.
China is a bigger investor than Japan.
China is a bigger lender than Japan.
China is a bigger consumer of energy, electricity, oil, gas, coal, wind, solar, hydro, grain, vegetables, fruits, automobiles, smartphones, televisions, computers, aircraft, gaming, movies, etc etc etc (I could go on and on and on). China has surpassed Japan in terms of consumer market in pretty much every category.
Even the Renminbi is not far off surpassing the Yen in the SWIFT payments marketshare, and Renminbi already surpassed the Yen in trade finance marketshare.
Chinese stock market is bigger than Japan.
China has bigger R&D spending than Japan.
China has bigger military budget than Japan.
China has sent humans to space which Japan never will.
China has ICBM's, SSBN's, nuclear weapons, beidou navigation system, which Japan doesn't.
China is a far more dominant sporting nation in the Olympics.
China has UNSC veto power.
I can name a MASSIVE list where China has surpassed Japan.
The area Japan is ahead of China is being slavishly subservient to a foreign power
With each passing year China will continue to make Japan look like the insignificant little midget that it is and as China grows stronger, Japan will continue in its 25 year decline into complete irrelevancy.
@yoshi.oda @Nihonjin1051