In 1999, Koushun Takami generated one of Japan's biggest controversies surrounding literature and cinema with the release of his novel, Battle Royale, which was made into a film only a year later. . The novel and film, which detail the lives of a fictional group of young students forced to kill each other under a government-designed program until only one is left standing, have sparked a torrent of objections from Japanese critics who felt that the plot would encourage schoolchildren to imitate the acts of violence described by Takami (Arai 367). The disapproval of so many literary critics was likely due to previous crimes committed by students, including the murder of a teacher by a teenager in 1998 and the beheading of an elementary school student by a 14-year-old boy in 1997. (Shotaro 77). These critics feared that the publication of Takami's story would provoke new criminal behavior that would conflict with the values ​​and norms of Japanese society by promoting gun ownership and homicide. However, despite these fears and the assertions of many of these critics, Takami's novel actually reinforces the norms of traditional Japanese society regarding its cultural expectations of students, its collectivist attitudes, and its gender roles through description of the consequences that arise from a deviation from these norms. .According to Kiefer, Japanese students have strict expectations: They must concentrate on their studies and receive good grades. It is believed that for a student to be financially successful as an adult, they must first achieve academic success through their education. This high requirement for student achievement is demonstrated through a term that developed throughout Japan...... middle of article...... American Anthropologist 72.1 (1970): 66- 75. JSTOR. Internet. November 24, 2010. Kobayashi, Emiko, Kerbo, Harold R. and Sharp, Susan F. "Differences in Individualistic and Collectivist Tendencies Among Students in Japan and the United States." » International Review of Comparative Sociology 51.1-2 (2010): 59-84. SAGE Journals Online. Internet. November 26, 2010.Lee, Kristen Schultz. “Gender Beliefs and the Meaning of Work Among Okinawan Women.” Gender and Society 20.3 (2006): 382-401. SAGE Journals Online. Internet. November 27, 2010. Sato, Nancy and McLaughlin, Milbrey W. “Context Matters: Teaching in Japan and the United States.” » Phi Delta Kappan 73.5 (1992): 359-366. ProQuest. Internet. November 24, 2010. Shotaro, Takahashi. “When student violence breaks out.” Japan Quarterly 45.3 (1998): 77-83. ProQuest. Internet. November 19, 2010. Takami, Koushun. Battle Royale. San Francisco: Haika Soru, 2009. Print.