Mike
Japan ep's usually are stamped "Japan" somewhere.
The better Taiwan ep's are stamped, some are not. Mainland China ep's are never labeled, im my experience. Usually only the box says China. I have compared the Japan Televue 26 plossl with the Taiwan Meade 26 pl and seen no difference in the scope. Japan ep's are well made, and simply look better than non-Japanese ep's. (my opinion) I am a big fan of the Taiwan Meade 3000's and Celestron plossls, but dislke the Meade 4000's Taiwan. A very subjective preference indeed.
Where country of origin makes a difference is best seen in the Meade Modified Achromat ep's. The Japanese versions are fine, the non-Japan versions cant be given away. See photo below
The Japanese reputation is well deserved, but inflated on Amart due to the scarcity of the older ep's and the flood of Chinese imports these days. The high prices of these ep's also affect the perception of ep worth. If you want high quality Japanese ep's, look at these
1. Orion ultrascopics/ Celestron ultimas
2. Televue Plossls and Nagler type 6's
3. KK Magellan wide scans
4, University orthos, Konigs
5. Vixen Lanthanums
6. Pentax
7. Takahashi LE
Regards
John
