The education/employment situation of young people in Japan is examined as part of a project to broaden perspectives on social, educational, and employment issues in contemporary societies. Youth problems in Japan stem from the incredibly rapid industrialization and social change that have taken place in Japan since World War II. In spite of this social change, however, consistant emphasis has been given to education by successive governments. Major targets of educational policy have been to make primary schooling widely available and to use higher education as a means of developing the talents of a small number of highly competent people. This diffusion of basic and higher education has had tremendous impact upon employment in recent years. For example, most youth tend to start working upon completion of senior high school or university education. The almost negligible number of youths seeking jobs immediately upon completion of the nine years of compulsory schooling is too small to cause the glut of job seekers which affects many other industrialized nations. Like other industrial countries, Japan faced an economic crisis in the early 1970s. However, in comparison with most other industrial countries, the degree of unemployment has been less serious. Japanese youth, consequently, are less likely to encounter problems related to the inability to find work than to feel alienated from a society based on traditions they do not share. (DB)