Most photographers with knowledge of photography know that the image is generated through the lens, without a quality lens, there can be no quality image.
So, the real value in photography is the quality of the lens, not the box that records it.
And Japan makes the best lenses.
So the real story of your post "Japanese Cameras" can be summed up by saying Canon still makes there BOXES in Japan, so what, the real issue is photography is the lens.
And the best lenses are made in Japan by Canon, Sony, Nikon and many others.
Oh, I forgot, the Nikon 70-200 2.8 FL lens is proudly made in Japan. I am sure I will think of some more after my morning coffee.
Nice post by the way, I have enjoyed it very much. Thanks for posting. Billnikon over and out.

You quoted the reason and here why it matters.

"Are Japanese fingers more agile and capable of precision work than fingers in India, China, Europe or elsewhere around the world?"

Either the Japanese are better workers or the companies cheated the workers from South East Asia. Either case it's not a good thing and I do not support companies that do so.
Unlike Japanese cars companies have their production in the US because it's where they sell the most cars. They don't sell the most cameras in South East Asia. The make it there only the cheat the poor workers.

You quoted the reason and here why it matters.

"Are Japanese fingers more agile and capable of precision work than fingers in India, China, Europe or elsewhere around the world?"

Either the Japanese are better workers or the companies cheated the workers from South East Asia. Either case it's not a good thing and I do not support companies that do so.
Unlike Japanese cars companies have their production in the US because it's where they sell the most cars. They don't sell the most cameras in South East Asia. The make it there only the cheat the poor workers.

Sorry, but you are misinformed. Of course products are manufactured in SEA because wages are lower. BUT so is the cost of living. Nikon jobs in Thailand pay good wages by Thai standards and offer good working conditions, so they are highly sought after. The same is true of Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Isuzu and Ford vehicles. Good pay; good jobs, and built to international quality standards. I've owned 4 pickup trucks and 2 cars here in Thailand all as good as or better than vehicles I've owned in the States. We currently own a Ford Ranger and a Ford Focus, both manufactured here and both excellent, trouble-free vehicles.

However, if you own an iPhone or similar mobile phone, it was probably made in China where they do cheat and abuse their workers. If you shop at Wal-Mart, most of what you buy was made in Chinese sweat shops where the workers... Well, you get the point.
Cheers,
Don Watson
Bangkok

That was before they embraced Deming’s principals of quality manufacturing. Regardless of the reason, in my opinion, the Japanese now traditionally produce the highest quality automobiles and electronics in the world, and neck and neck with the Germans for cameras (and typically more affordable). It’s not just the workers and their training, it’s the entire design, management, customer relations and QA philosophy of the companies. My only complaint with Japanese companies is from my experience, they tend to favor features over simplicity of design of the human interface, but that’s a personal opinion and preference.

You say they "cheat" the workers. Have you ever studied economics? (I was certified to teach beginning economics at the high school level.)

An example I read a study about years ago.
A US tennis shoe company set up a factory in a South Asian Country that had a fairly good education system but the economy didn't produce a lot of good paying jobs.
1. the company was paying only about 1/10 per hour what a US factory would pay
2. a lot of people jumped all over them for exploiting those workers
3. it turned out that they were paying the local workers nearly double the local average pay and
4. at the local cost of living those workers were doing extremely well and were extremely happy to work for the US company
5. they had their pick of the best workers in that country with a huge waiting list of people waiting for a job to open up

It was almost the same situation as Henry Ford who paid what at the time was considered much too high a rate to workers who built the Model-T. ($5 a day when it started in 1914. That was over double the average pay at the time.) Other industrialists thought he was stupid to do so. But it got him his pick of the best workers in the US at the time and his workers could afford to buy the car they were making which got more on the road where other people could see them and in turn want one themselves. (Old Henry sold cars to the workers, picked up at the factory, below the price to other people in other places.)

Many modern writers who had never studied economics also accused Ford of exploiting his workers because they did not know just how those workers' pay rated compared to the rest of the US "AT THE TIME". They were looking at the pay in terms of modern pay rates.
Not only did they not know economics, they didn't know the history very well either.