ther western religions do so the Japanese are more situational. Confucianism also contrasts with other western religions in that it has no single god. Also, Japans rice based agriculture has forced them to cooperate and work together. If you work against the group you are looked down upon and sometimes punished. Last, the fact that before World War II Japan was a poor island nation that was less developed than it's western counterparts and lacked natural resources also made the Japanese sacrifice their personal interests and work together as a group. Japanese are very proud of their culture and believe that they have more of a cultural history than the United States because this is such a young country in comparison. Another aspect of Japanese culture that must be recognized is the vertical society in which they live. This is a product of the years before the Meiji restoration. Japanese society at that time was separated into five classes, Samurai, farmers, artisans, merchants, and outcasts. Samurai status was passed on from generation to generation. The Samurai's were restricted mostly to the cities, although some could be found in the rural areas of Japan. After the Meiji restoration the Samurai lost all of his economic and legal bases and also lost the privilege of his former social status.
             The shadow of these practices still remains today in Japanese society. Everyone in Japan belongs to some group and all groups have people of rank and superior status. This along with the fact that Japan has never had a revolution that has come from the masses has formed a non- participatory culture in Japan. People in Japan believe that there is nothing that they can do about the government. So therefore they decide to leave most of their problems up to the law and the bureaucracy. Another distinct feature of the culture is the belief that one's choices and morals are based on their own beliefs, "personalism". Which is contrary to the belief of...