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Much ironical, but Japanese are as divided among themselves as are other peoples. This aspect presents an acute complication in the measurement of public opinion in Japan. Japanese are characterized by the clash of rural interests and urban interests, struggle of laborers against those who seek to exploit them and jealousy in guarding their hereditary privileges. Nevertheless, beneath the surface of these divisions, there is a basic similarity of thought and sentiment, a hard, indestructible core of national tradition, that binds the people together and enables them to present a united front to the outside world. A distinctive feature of the Japanese cultural heritage is the close and purposeful interrelation of religious traditions and political structure. The national solidarity of Japan is rooted in ancient myths and mediaeval religious beliefs that seem entirely out of place in the modem world. That these doctrines have become deeply imbedded in the nation seems evident from the fact that for more than a generation they have constituted the core of the spiritual training of Japanese youth.