Two ostensibly contradictory forces operate in Japanese society, as they do in other industrialized societies. On the one hand, it is subject to many centrifugal forces that tend to diversify its structural arrangements, lifestyles and value orientations. On the other hand, a range of centripetal forces drive Japanese society towards homogeneity and uniformity. While this book has examined both forces, its chapters are organized in terms of the ways in which centrifugal forces operate in such key spheres as work, education, gender, and ethnicity. This chapter concentrates on the centripetal forces, locating a variety of forms of control in an analytical framework.

Japanese society has various forms of regimentation that are designed to standardize the thought patterns and attitudes of the Japanese and make them toe the line in everyday life. While these pressures exist in any society, in Japan they constitute a general pattern which one might call friendly authoritarianism. It is authoritarian to the extent that it encourages each member of society to internalize and share the value system which regards control and regimentation as natural, and to accept the instructions and orders of people in superordinate positions without questioning. As a system, friendly authoritarianism:

1. 1 uses small groups as the basis of mutual surveillance and deterrence of deviant behavior. A kind of lateral control within a small group compels each member to compete with the others to comply with the expected norms and standards;

2. […]