According to Newsweek, China’s economy will overtake Japan’s by the end of the year – making them the second-largest economy in the world. Not bad for a bunch of profit-averse commies.

So, what does it all mean for the U.S.? Politically, it means that we’ll move ever closer to China; they’ll be necessary for securing Asia in the future (Japan’s military budget has been flat for 20 years). Economically, it means that the Japanese, who’ve realized that they are overreliant on the American consumer, will start nurturing closer ties with not only China, but the rest of Asia and the developing world. Consumers there won’t replace Americans immediately, but the Japanese are starting to realize that while they may not be able to be No. 1 on their own, they have the fastest-growing market in the world on their doorstep. And countries, like companies, can sometimes do pretty well in the No. 2 slot.

China also ranks # 1 in penis-themed restaurants, so clearly we’ve all got a bit of catching up to do.