Do Japanese think they are racially superior?

Answer 1

They believe that the gods created the Japanese land and the Japanese people as distinct from the rest of the world. I don't know if this necessarily meant that the gods intended on creating a superior race, but that's generally how it was perceived. This was their religion and spawned a belief that they were favored by the gods (who among other things would never let them be defeated in battle - a belief that was brought into question after ww2) and were therefore the superior race on the planet. There are other factors; they worked hard to maintain their perceived status and this itself may have had an affect.

Although this may not be believed by all Japanese people today, their traditions are deeply rooted in it. Similar to how many Westerners today don't believe in god, but Christian values still pervade their lifestyle. This is my understanding.

[Kikianswers: This sort of idea is not exclusively Japanese. There are exhibitions of what is called ethnocentrism (Google it) in, if not all, most cultures. This is the belief that your culture is the 'best' or 'right way,' and that other cultures are, unavoidably, lesser. These beliefs have led to global conflict for milennia, not just in Asia.