| Summary: | Prejudice and stereotypes are so deeply embedded in our everyday thoughts and emotions as well as within all of our minds that it is difficult for us to recognize it in our own actions and judgments. This difficulty can be found in comparative studies in all disciplines, ranging from social psychological research on national character, historical studies, cultural and artistic theory and political sciences. This fact indicates to us conversely that the relationship between stereotyping and prejudice is one of great significance for social inquiries that seek to reveal the nature and characteristics of a particular country as seen in our theme of this issue on Japanese studies (Nipponjinron or Nipponshakai [bunka] ron). In this regard, each of the authors who have contributed to this issue strives to explore and clarify what Japaneseness is, while referring to social theories and thoughts that focus on issues of nationalism and cultural identity in varied fields and perspectives from history, anthropology, filmology, linguistics to the arts and tourism. In fact, there are many ways we could interpret Japaneseness, as it would be the case for any culture or society, and we could capture diversely many angles of this term. The various arguments raised in this issue are exactly what suggests Japan’s diversity constructed collectively through dynamic processes of social interaction.
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