B.L.E.,
That was pretty much the problem.
When the 94 was being revived after New Haven shut down I discussed it in several emails with the project manager.
My position was that they had a perfect chance to start over & return the 94 to the configuration that had made it an enduring American icon.
Jettison the angle eject, drop the unwanted rebounding hammer & the disliked safety, take it back to Browning's original design.
Nope.
The gun had to be lawyered up, it was not going to be the working man's rifle anymore, it was going to be part of the limited production (and expensive) "nostalgia" series produced in Japan.
While I have no problem with the country of origin whatever, and the Miroku operation turns out excellent quality products, the Model 94 died in 2006 with the New Haven plant as far as I'm concerned.
Others are perfectly free to make their own decisions, this is just me.
The new 94s are well built, but they are NOT "better" as a blanket statement than the original guns when they were at their peak prior to 1964.
A prettier blueing job isn't the only consideration.
Denis