ABSTRACT
The term 'minority' is most commonly used to describe a subordinate group incorporated into a larger society which is subjected to discrimination by the dominant group. Minorities are generally believed to be - in fact often are - physically and culturally different from the dominant group and they are usually aware of this difference which serves as the core of their self-identity. This conventional usage is, as I shall argue, inadequate and misleading for an understanding of minority dynamics in Japanese society.
