The following will present a review of the book Japanese Society by Chie Nakane (1970). The author presented elements of Japanese social life, not to demonstrate Japanese society, but to provide an understanding of the society and its features and to distinguish this society from others. To present the societal elements, different types of community were presented, to include individual households, village communities, intellectual groups, religious communities, educational institutions, government organizations, industrial enterprises, and political parties. Interpersonal relations and individual behaviors provide insight into structural tendencies and group organization, which ultimately portray the society. This view of Japanese society is broken down into four chapters which cover: the criteria of group formation, the internal structure of the group, the overall structure of the society, and characteristics and value orientation of Japanese man.
Chapter One, "The Criteria of Group Formation," provides information about the analysis criteria, attribute and frame. The author states that "groups may be identified by applying the two criteria" (p. 1). Groups are identified by a common attribute, and frame may refer to a locality or an institution or some relationship that binds the group. Society consists of social groups or social strata based on these criteria. Japanese tend to "stress situational position in a particular frame, rather than universal attribute" (p. 2). The formation of the household offers an example of this forming of groups based on frame; members may have different attributes. This structure is viewed by the author as summing up the principles of Japanese social group structure. For Japan, the traditional structure is found despite changes in social organization.
This chapter also presents the topics of emotional participation and one-to-one relationships. While the group
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