The old, old made in Japan stuff wasn't too bad, still own a 6-24x varmint scope that at least held its zero on my .22-250 for the past 15 years. I will be upgrading it though at some point down the road. I think some were made in Taiwan as well, but don't have anything to confirm or deny that.
The newer made in china stuff does not have a proven track record and should be avoided.
Just my .02