A typical characteristic of the society in Japan is that in the Japanese community people consider themselves to be a unified group, one in which racial and economical disparities almost do not exist. This belief is restricted rather to the Japanese alone, people around the world do not think likewise. Japanese society is extremely disciplined in trying to resolve any differences that can give rise to civil unrest. This is a unique quality of the society of Japan. Japan has been even more successful in maintaining its homogeneity chiefly because the nation has been exposed to very little or no migration. In this regard Japan belongs to that rare group whose original social structure had not been upset by some new groups trying to adjust themselves within a foreign society.
Rapid globalization and industrialization has turned Japan into a favorite destination for communities around the world. This has in turn led to the influx of new ethnic communities into Japan bringing about new changes in the society of Japan. Migrants have given rise to the new multicultural Japan of the 21st century. The watertight structure of the Japanese society is gradually undergoing changes. However, Japanese people are still very conservative and regard their culture as very unique. Ethnic minorities play an important role in Japan's economy. The Brazilians, for example, are the ones who contribute the highest in Japan's automobile industry. Other ethnic minorities living in Japan include the Koreans and the Chinese.
In Japan importance is laid on the traditional culture as the Japanese society is still not very open to Western schools of thought and education. The Japanese society still believes very much in the joint-family system and even if in today's fast world this is not possible families at least try to maintain proximity of location. The Japanese are an industrious nation and the youth are expected to become independent financially quite early in life. Although the age-old religions of Shinto and Buddhism are the dominant religions practiced among the Japanese, yet, the country is host to some 600 new religions from around the world.
