The Japanese family/firm analogy has been utilized in the past by anthropological and business scholars for the purposes of better understanding the traditional Japanese family household (the ie) and the modern-day firm. The purpose of this study is to determine the appropriateness and utility of this analogy. To accomplish this, the study reconstructs the analogy by describing the models and theories upon which it is based and then examines it from a critical viewpoint. The conclusions are mixed. The study finds that the family/firm analogy is applicable, but only within the narrow limits defined by the specific ie and modern firm models. The analogy suffers further from its misrepresentation of Japanese families and firms, internal contradictions, and a disregard for social, economic, and political contexts. What is ultimately lost through the use of the analogy is the great complexity and diversity of Japanese society.

This paper discusses the Romaji Movement and its role in the reform of the Japanese written language during the Allied Occupation of Japan (1945-1952). Past analyses concerning the Romaji Movement have suggested that romanization failed due to conspiracies against it and have neglected to consider other alternatives being pursued by the Japanese government. This paper will take a closer look at the Americans who supported romanization, their motivations for doing so, and the development of SCAP policy towards language reform. Since simplification, not romanization, was the preferred objective of both the American and the Japanese governments, this paper goes on to examine alternative methods to simplification which, in the end, proved to be highly successful.