These modern Japanese situations in middle school and in the Army take their char-acter，of course，from old Japanese customs about ridicule and insult。The middle and upper schools and the Army did not create the Japanese reaction to them。It is easy to see that the traditional code of giri-to-one's-name makes hazing practices rankle more bitterly in Japan than they do in America。It is also consistent with old patterns that the fact that each hazed group will pass on the punishment in time to a victim group does not prevent a boy's preoccupation with settling scores with his actual tormentor。
Women do not lean the code of giri-to-one's-name and they do not have the modern experiences of boys'middle schools and Army training。Nor do they go through analo-gous experiences。Their life cycle is much more consistent than their brothers'。From their earliest memories they have been trained to accept the fact that boys get the pre-cedence and the attention and the presents which are denied to them。The rule of life which they must honor denies them the privilege of overt self-assertion。
The responsibility for the restraints that are required of them，too，is placed squarely upon them，and not vested in an arbitrarily authoritarian parent。Parents exer-cise their prerogatives not by corporal punishments but by their calm，unswerving expec-tation that the girl will live up to what is required of her。
A boy too receives careful habit training by example and imitation，though it is less intensive than the girl's。When he has“learned，”no alibi is accepted。After adoles-cence，however，he is left，in one important field of his life，largely to his own initia-tive。His elders do not teach him habits of courting。The home is a circle from which all overt amorous behavior is excluded，and the segregation of unrelated boys and girls has been extreme since he was nine or ten。The Japanese ideal is that his parents will ar-range a marriage for him before he has really been interested in sex，and it is therefore desirable that a boy should be“shy”in his behavior with girls。In the villages there is a vast amount of teasing on the subject which often does keep boys“shy”。But boys try to learn。In the old days，and even recently in more isolated villages of Japan，many girls，sometimes the great majority，were pregnant before marriage。Such pre-marital experi-ence was a“free area”not involved in the serious business of life。The parents were ex-pected to arrange the marriages without reference to these affairs。Most Japanese young men learn sex behavior in other ways。In any case，they do not learn through meticulous adult tutelage。This difference in training underscores for the young man the Japanese tenet that sex is an area removed from that serious business of life over which his elders preside and in which they painstakingly train his habits。It is an area of self-gratifica-tion which he masters with much fear of embarrassment。The two areas have their differ ent rules。After his marriage he may have sexual pleasures elsewhere without being in the least surreptitious about it，and in so doing he does not infringe upon his wife's rights nor threaten the stability of his marriage。
His wife has not the same privilege。Her duty is faithfulness to her husband。She would have to be surreptitious。Even when she might be tempted，comparatively few women in Japan live their lives in sufficient privacy to carry off a love affair。When her husband looks elsewhere，she may have recourse to the accepted Japanese customs of masturbation，and，from the peasant villages to the homes of the great，women treasure traditional implements for this purpose。She is granted in the villages，moreover，certain exuberances in erotic behavior when she has borne a child。Before she is a mother，she would not make a sex joke，but afterward，and as she grows older，her conversation at a mixed party is full of them。She entertains the party，too，with very free sexual dances，jerking her hips back and forth to the accompaniment of ribald songs。“These perform-ances invariably bring roars of laughter。”
Japanese women are therefore allowed certain kinds of freedom about sexual mat-ters，the more，too，the lower born they are。They must observe many taboos during most of their lives but there is no taboo which requires them to deny that they know the facts of life。When it gratifies the men，they are obscene。Likewise，when it gratifies the men，they are asexual。
ontradictions which all Westerners have described in Japanese character are intelligi-ble from their child rearing。It produces a duality in their outlook on life，neither side of which can be ignored。From their experience of privilege and psychological ease in baby-hood they retain through all the disciplines of later life the memory of an easier life when they“did not know shame。”They do not have to paint a Heaven in the future；they have it in their past。They rephrase their childhood in their doctrine of the innate goodness of man，of the benevolence of their gods，and of the incomparable desirability of being a Japanese。It makes it easy for them to base their ethics on extreme interpretations of the“Buddha-seed”in every man and of every man's becoming a kami on death。It gives them assertiveness and a certain self-confidence。It underlies their frequent willingness to tack-le any job，no matter how far above their ability it may seem to be。It underlies their readiness to pit their judgment even against their own Government，and to testify to it by suicide。On occasion，it gives them a capacity for mass megalomania。
The dualism in their characters creates tensions to which different Japanese respond in different ways，though each is making his own solution of the same essential problem of reconciling the spontaneity and acceptance he experienced in early childhood with the restraints which promise security in later life。A good many have difficulty in resolving this problem。Some stake everything on ruling their lives like pedants and are deeply fearful of any spontaneous encounter with life。The fear is the greater because spontanei-ty is no fantasy but something they once experienced。They remain aloof，and，by adhe-ring to the rules they have made their own，feel that they have identified themselves with all that speaks with authority。Some are more dissociated。They are afraid of their own aggressiveness which they darn up in their souls and cover with a bland surface behav-ior。Others，who have been more caught by their early childhood，feel a consuming anx-iety in the face of all that is demanded of them as adults and try to increase their de-pendence when it is no longer appropriate。
These are characteristic dangers to which the Japanese are exposed when their anxi-ety about rejection and censure are too much for them。When they are not overpressed，they show in their lives both the capacity for enjoying life and the carefulness not to step on others'toes which has been bred into them in their upbringing。It is a very considera-ble achievement。Their early childhood has given them assertiveness。It has not awak-ened a burdening sense of guilt。The later restraints have been imposed in the name of solidarity with their fellows，and the obligations are reciprocal。There are designated“free areas”where impulse life can still be gratified，no matter how much other people may interfere with their wishes in certain matters。The Japanese have always been fa-mous for the pleasure they get from innocent things：viewing the cherry blossoms，the moon，chrysanthemums，or new fallen snow；keeping insects caged in the house for their“song”；writing little verses；making gardens；arranging flowers，and drinking ceremonial tea。These are not activities of a deeply troubled and aggressive people。They do not take their pleasures sadly either。A Japanese rural community，in those happier days before Japan embarked on its disastrous Mission，could be in its leisure time as cheerful and sanguine as any living people。In its hours of work it could be as diligent。
But the Japanese ask a great deal of themselves。To avoid the great threats of ostra-cism and detraction，they must give up personal gratifications they have learned to sa-vor。They must put these impulses under lock and key in the important affairs of life。The few who violate this pattern run the risk of losing even their respect for themselves。
Those who do respect themselves chart their course，not between“good”and“evil，”but between“expected man”and“unexpected man，”and sink their own personal de-mands in the collective“expectation。”These are the good men who“know shame”and are endlessly circumspect。They are the men who bring honor to their families，their vil-lages，and their nation。
The Japanese have paid a high price for their way of life。They have denied them-selves simple freedoms which Americans count upon as unquestioningly as the air they breathe。We must remember，now that the Japanese are looking to de-mook-ra-sie since their defeat，how intoxicating it can be to them to act quite simply and innocently as one pleases。
In this transition to a greater psychic freedom，the Japanese have certain old tradi-tional virtues which can help to keep them on an even keel。One of these is that self-re-sponsibility which they phrase as their accountability for“the rust of my body，”-that figure of speech which identifies one's body with a sword。As the wearer of a sword is re-sponsible for its shining brilliancy，so each man must accept responsibility for the out-come of his acts。He must acknowledge and accept all natural consequences of his weak-ness，his lack of persistence，his ineffectualness。Self-responsibility is far more drasti-cally interpreted in Japan than in free America。In this Japanese sense the sword be-comes，not a symbol of aggression，but a simile of ideal and self-responsible man。No balance wheel can be better than this virtue in a dispensation which honors individual freedom，and Japanese child-rearing and philosophy of conduct have inculcated it as a part of the Japanese Spirit。Today the Japanese have proposed“to lay aside the sword”in the Western sense。In their Japanese sense，they have an abiding strength in their concern with keeping an inner sword free from the rust which always threatens it。In their phraseology of virtue the sword is a symbol they can keep in a freer and more peaceful world。