In spite of increased general interest in Japanese groups, little has been written from a psychoanalytic viewpoint. The author uses the model of Bion's concept of the basic assumption group in relation to a work group. He postulates that belonging to a group is a Winnicottian "illusionary experience," i.e., internal reality is felt to perfectly meet external collective reality. Takahashi examines aspects of American and Japanese groups and concludes that Japanese groups "have a high capacity to accommodate this type of illusion, to contain and process fears, and to enrich the group life by bridging the gap between the internal and external reality."