Japanese Culture on Gender and SexualityRecently, women's concerns about their equality in society have become a hotly debated topic in the public spotlight. Much of the debate concerns women and the ingrained sexism that permeates most cultures. Many feminist activists believe that this entrenched sexism has widened the divide between men and women politically, socially and economically. And for the most part, they have solid evidence to support these claims. Women have suffered for millennia in male-dominated societies, where their treatment was, and in some cases still is, inhumane. Women are treated as subhuman creatures who exist only to be used for procreation and to be subjugated by men for domestic purposes. It is only very recently that women have been recognized as equal in the eyes of men. Equal in the sense that they have the same political and social rights as men. Even though the situation has improved, women still have to deal with a world oriented towards men. Often, women in the workplace are seen as inferior and a liability. This may be due to concerns about maternity leave or women having poor leadership skills. But this is also partly due to patriarchy controlling every aspect and dynamic of culture, family, politics and economics. Even developed countries like the UK, USA, Germany and France could be classified as patriarchies. These countries may not agree with this notion because of the significant, but not complete, changes that have gradually equalized women in society. However, some developed countries openly express patriarchy and have adopted few societal changes to bring equality to women. Japan is one such country, and the middle of the paper, like the one written by Mr. McLelland, reinforces the concept of Japanese collective tatemae and how it differs from collective honne. Over the years, Japan has radically changed its view of women. How she views women and how she treats them varies. Recent times have seen restrictions on women's equality and a shared, male-dominated tatemae that permeates every aspect of Japanese culture. But that doesn't stop the Japanese from continuing to challenge this status quo, and creative works that push the boundaries are constantly being created. The Japanese imagination, to create cartoons and films that challenge traditional social hierarchy and gender boundaries, identifies Japan as the hidden (if lightly censored) artist of the world. Constantly creating new works that question and move away from the social norms of the rest of the world.