Japanese Americans have attained a remarkable degree of assimilation, especially on the part of the Sansei, the second American-born generation. In a sample of Sansei studied, three in four report having at least one non-Japanese friend; only 24 percent adhere to Buddhism (as compared to 37 percent among the Nisei, the first American-born generation); 67 percent live in neighborhoods that are largely non-Japanese; and 40 percent of those that are married have non-Japanese spouses. Although these factors seem to indicate strong leanings toward assimilation, there are some countervailing data that indicate that although the local Japanese American community may decrease in importance, a national community bound by professional and ethnic ties may arise. (Author/WP)