During the last 50 years, private "feeder" schools in Japan came to dominate entry into elite colleges. Intense organizational competition shaped the organizational environment and changed the pathways available to social elites. Compared to Japan, elite private feeders in the US have failed to dominate pathways into elite colleges. In this paper, the authors examine the historical changes in elite pathways between private "feeder" or "star" high schools and elite universities in Japan by looking at changing enrollment rates in the post-war period. A brief comparison between the pathways in the US and Japan is presented. (Contains 5 tables and 3 endnotes.)