Protectionism and the Destruction of Prosperity

Protectionism, often refuted and seemingly abandoned, has returned, and with a vengeance. The Japanese, who bounced back from grievous losses in World War II to astound the world by producing innovative, high- quality products at low prices, are serving as the convenient butt of protectionist propaganda. Memories of wartime myths prove a heady brew, as protectionists warn about this new “Japanese imperialism,” even “worse than Pearl Harbor.” This “imperialism” turns out to consist of selling Americans wonderful TV sets, autos, microchips, etc., at prices more than competitive with American firms.
Is this “flood” of Japanese products really a menace, to be combated by the U.S. government? Or is the new Japan a godsend to American con- sumers?
In taking our stand on this issue, we should recognize that all government action means coer- cion, so that calling upon the U.S. government to intervene means urging it to use force and vio- lence to restrain peaceful trade. One trusts that the protectionists are not willing to pursue their logic of force to the ultimate in the form of another Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

https://mises.org/library/protectionism-and-destruction-prosperity 

Protectionism and the Destruction of Prosperity_2.pdf