Japan is the world's third largest manufacturer after the United States and China. It produces the largest manufacturing output per capita in the world. I don't know what you're talking about.
And that's only way Japan could have become a wealthy nation since it has limited natural resources. And it also has limited agricultural, timber and mining, and had to import much of what it needed to build it's manufacturing industries.
The question now is how much of their manufacturing have they moved to cheap labor nations, and can what is left support their domestic employment needs and their aging population.