ABSTRACT
One impression many Western visitors to Japan seem to entertain concerning socialization of children in Japan is that Japanese adults are indulgent with their children, sometimes to the point of spoiling. For example, in 1983, several national newspapers reported the results of a survey of foreigners living in Japan concerning their views of the Japanese parent–child relationship. It was indicated that 80% of foreigners thought Japanese adults were spoiling their children (Sasaki, 1985). If the opinions of the lay foreigners lack persuasiveness, let us see what experts have to say. For example, Hendry (1986), a social anthropologist who studies children and their socialization in Japan, said:
the apparent charm small Japanese children hold for foreign visitors has occasioned casual comment from many writers, often those seriously interested in quite different topics. The word which most often recurs in their writings is indulgence. It is commented that the children are greatly loved and fussed over, rarely punished. (p. 1)
