THE possibility of fascism in Japan depends, as elsewhere, on the emotional susceptibility of the masses, on the complex of social and political developments within the country. Thus it is only by hazarding an analysis of the major elements now predominant that the potentialities of the present situation can be perceived. I propose to use the word fascism only in its strict sense of the rule of the armed over the unarmed, exerted not only with force but also by means of psychological manipulation. In spite of the industrialization of the country the social structure of Japan has preserved many of the old feudal characteristics. The family is the primary unit in the clan, in the village or in the social group, and the individual exists only within his family. The various strata of society are aligned according to vocation, distinguished by a special ethics, by special codes, and made cohesive by a sense of solidarity. Even in the new occupations developed in the fastgrowing cities this group-feeling is apparent, and new institutions are permeated with the time-honored feudal principle of order. No greater contrast can be imagined than that between a Chinese and a Japanese rickshaw-stand: in the Chinese stand peasants' sons and urban proletarians degraded to a crowd of ragged, starving beggars, greedily and recklessly fighting for a few pennies, ruthlessly competing for patrons in the midst of a wild clamor; in the Japanese stand a row of skilled craftsmen, appropriately dressed, thoroughly organized, well lined up and self-controlled, and only the first in the row offering his services. Even such practices as the strikes in Japanese schools are not to be considered a consequence of modern, western ideas, but on the contrary are evidence that the old groupspirit is still functioning. The power of the group over its members, and its rights within society, have never been contested, and loyalty toward one's own group is evidence of conservative inclinations. In