ABSTRACT
In this chapter I would like to consider some preliminary questions regarding the discussion on postmodernism in the Japanese context. My intention is not to argue whether Japan is a postmodern society, nor to present a detailed analysis of the cultural phenomena referred to by some as representing the postmodern in Japan. What I believe is most crucial for any discussion on postmodernism in Japan is the examination of the context in which the term came into use in the West and in Japan, particularly in relation to the fundamentally different construction of Western and non-Western societies.
