ABSTRACT
Most Japanese are of the same ethnic background, speak the same language, and subscribe to the same general set of beliefs. There are subtle social and cultural differences, but they account for little political contention. If the social system is a vast network of groups, within the group itself individuals are ranked according to their status. Economic expansion has created jobs for the large numbers of graduates who seem reasonably satisfied with their social status. Many theories have been offered that purport to explain the group dynamics of Japanese society. One such theory suggests that "groupism" is a consequence of the social nature of paddy-type agriculture. Political groups whose members share a common commitment to ideological or philosophical systems are few. Organized religion, in the formal western sense of churches, is not only unimportant in determining political identity but it has little significance in defining social relationships.
