Well, let's discuss this xenophobia, or, more specifically, in regards to the Japanese, Nipponphobia.

Some of this will fly in the face of what we have learned from the movies, from government propaganda (school), and "Uncle Joe."

Prior to WWII, Japan produced the finest machine tools and steel in the world, and very cost-effectively.

America and Britain could not compete with Japan on the world market, in terms of quality and price, but especially in terms of quality.

Following WWII, the Japanese literally had nothing except burned-out urban rubble and farms operated by surviving mothers, wives and daughters.

In order to rebuild, Japan needed cash flow, and with few production resources, Japan chose and filled the very bottom production niche of the cheapest goods possible (late 1940's and early 1950's).

That said, by the early 1960's, Japanese industry had regained its feet, and had re-established itself as the quality center of the planet.

Anyone who wanted a specific product produced to the absolutely highest standards would contract with Japanese manufacturers to produce that product.

In the American firearms industry, Browning, for example, contracted with Japanese machine shops to produce specialty firearms for the collector market (the Browning/Winchester Model 1892 comes to mind).

When it comes to Japanese quality today, I think it will suffice to simply say Honda, Acura, Toyota, Lexus, Subaru, and Mazda.

Regarding Japanese bicycle tubing, the Keirin NJS market requires lugged construction, and so the Japanese have not attempted to develop so-called "air-hardening" steels (which have no real use outside of the TIG-welding process) and, instead, have focused on very clean (low impurity and low inclusion) low-alloy (the best steels have less than 2% non-iron ingredients) steels; and, the Japanese have focused on the tubing fabrication process so as to make seamless tubing of very consistent and sophisticated dimensions (quad-butted, etc.).

Apart from "air-hardening" steel intended for TIG welding, the best bicycle tubing probably comes from Japan, although, I think the American manufacturer True Temper would hold up their flagship tubing, S3, as the best tubing for lugged and fillet-brazed construction.

I assume Columbus has a tubing comparable to True Temper S3 and the Japanese NJS steels, intended for lugged construction, but I don't know that much about Columbus tubing (I really only know what I read).

The Italians have thousands of years of good reputation as metal-workers and today many international manufacturers go to the Italians to have their metal prototypes made as proof of concept.

However, when it comes to quality of manufacturing, when quality matters most, the world goes to Japanese manufacturers and contracts with them.