Discussed are: (1) historical and cultural backgrounds of the Japanese style of child rearing; (2) differences of child rearing style between Japan and the United States; (3) the hidden curriculum at school and home. Content explores the recent controversy in Japan over "Amae," or the Japanese infant's craving for close contact with its mother and the importance of the mother's provision of physical contact. It is suggested that American mothers spend less time with their children than Japanese mothers and more time in talking to the children. Five cultural differences in child rearing are discussed, including sleeping arrangements, clothing of infants, mother's responsibility for changing the child's diaper before it complains, placing babies in different positions, encouragement of language, and mother's role in promoting young children's academic achievement. Japanese teachers play the role of mothers at school and provide a class atmosphere of equality and cooperation. The mother-child relationship is the model of Japanese social relations, extending to the relations of a company's president and his staff. Currently, the Japanese mother's consciousness of child rearing has been changed due to improvement in the position of Japanese women. Their child-rearing attitudes tend to be Americanized, as the society changes in the direction of increased rationality, activity, and expressivity. (RH)