ine of descent or even to the household as a unit of production or consumption. The Domestic Relations and Inheritance Law of 1898 meant that the Japanese government was institutionalizing more rigid family controls than had been known before. The household system was known as ie, and each family was required to conform to it, with a multigenerational household under the legal authority of a household head. After World War II, the Allied occupation forces established a new family ideology based on equal rights for women, equal inheritance by all children, and free choice of spouse and career. After the 1960s, most Japanese marriages have been based on the mutual attraction of the couple and not the traditional arrangement of parents. Arranged marriages in the 1980s might begin with an introduction by a relative or family friend, but actual negotiations did not begin until all parties, including the bride and groom, were satisfied with the relationship (Dolan and Worden 111-112).
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