ABSTRACT
Phenomena as diverse as nonverbal communication and commitment to permanent employment have been attributed to Japanese child rearing. Researchers have studied the early Japanese parent-child relationship and the socialization of values by Japanese elementary and secondary schools. In Japan, as in other highly industrialized countries, a large number of individuals compete on objective examinations for a limited number of educational and occupational opportunities. Children in Japanese nursery schools appear to receive considerable encouragement to be their brother's keeper. The Japanese nursery school practices may promote strong internalization and, ultimately, high compliance, while maintaining the role of the teacher as a benevolent, though perhaps not quite indulgent, figure. Contemporary Japanese institutions often preserve traditional sanctions against face-to-face interpersonal competition. Japanese workers' willingness to subordinate individual goals to group goals is frequently cited as a reason for the success of Japanese work groups.
