In Japanese parlance, the conformism that Kobayashi worried about and non-Japanese observers ridiculed as the psychology of the “obedient herd” usually was framed in more benign terms. Particularly in rural areas, where most people still lived or had their roots, this was simply junpū bizoku, “good morals and manners.” A strong sense of hierarchy and proper place was integral to such consciousness, but this was hardly the whole of it. “Good morals and manners” also encompassed a cultural world of values, activities, and symbols that were familiar and comforting. The rising-sun flag and
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