Although the popular image of Japan is of a nation where, due to cultural homogenity and a natural propensity for social harmony, capitalism and conservative politics have developed largely unopposed, earlier this century there was considerable unrest among labour unions and other leftists. Many of these groups were influenced by museifushugi, or anarchism, which at the time was one of the dominant strains of thought among the revolutionary left. This is a brief account of the introduction and development of anarchism in Japan prior to World War Two, and some of the individuals involved.