I N JAPAN the traditional rule of descent has been and remains patrilineal andprimogenitural; that is, the oldest son in the family is supposed to succeedto the status of the family head and inherit the family property. It is true that the postwar constitution has legally abolished the status of the family head and requires an equal division of property among the children. Nonetheless, the tendency even now in most of Japan, particularly in the typically more conservative rural areas, is toward primogeniture in the succession of the family headship and inheritance of property.!