| Summary: | Japan’s culture and idiosyncrasy have earned it a reputation as one of the most emblematic collectivist societies. Grounded in the moral precepts of Confucianism and traditional laws like the Meiji Civil Code (1868), customs such as patriarchy, deference towards old age, gender roles, filial piety, and respect for the firstborn have defined the country’s intra-family relationships. Given Japan’s rapidly aging society, called kôreika shakai, these precepts have been transformed into the paradigm of individualism, as reflected in Japanese films. This research seeks to elucidate how the notion of the traditional family has evolved from Yasujirô Ozu’s Tokyo Story to Yôji Yamada’s versioned films Tokyo Family, What a Wonderful Family, What a Wonderful Family 2, and What a Wonderful Family 3. These films reveal how this new social model is portrayed and which elements have been modified over the years.
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