ABSTRACT
Previous chapters have shown that sexual abuse is an extensive and serious problem for Japanese society, especially in the field of education. If we ask why the situation is as negative as it is, why so many women remain silent about abuse, and why cultures of impunity have gone unchallenged for such long periods of time, researchers and activists can access diverse fields, including those of feminist international studies and of political psychology to shed light on these issues. Some time is given here to contextualize the concept of male hysteria in view of the significant role it has played in intensifying the influence of international status anxiety in Japanese social and political life. Two surveys of 800 undergraduate university students operationalize the concept of international status anxiety to see if the influence of this form of anxiety can be discerned in contrasting contexts. The results indicate that beliefs regarding sexual abuse and the welfare of victims are shaped by international status anxiety and the need for education to engender conviction in attitudes of support for victims would be an optimal development in Japanese society.
