If Japan and the United States engage in trade, and Japan gains as a result of the trade, does that mean the United States has lost in some manner?

What will be an ideal response?


If economic agents engage in voluntary trade, then neither party has been made worse off, and at least one of them has been made better off. Voluntary trade, by definition, is not coercive, and an economist would not expect someone to trade in the expectation of becoming worse off. Instead, economists would expect both parties to gain—although the gains may not be equal in size. So, in this case, the United States would not have lost in some way.

Economics

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