A MAJOR IMPEDIMENT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE HAS BEEN THE LACK OF INTERDISCIPLINARY COMMUNICATION AMONG WORKERS IN THE FIELDS OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY, ECONOMICS, PHILOSOPHY, SOCIOLOGY, AND CRIMINOLOGY. FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS INCLUDING FUNDING, PUBLISHABILITY, AND LACK OF CROSS-CULTURAL EXPERTISE, THE STUDY OF CRIME AND CULTURE RELATIONSHIPS HAS BEEN LIMITED IN SCOPE TO THOSE PREDOMINANTLY WESTERN AND HIGHLY INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES WHICH HAVE BEEN THE FOCUS OF PREVIOUS RESEARCH EFFORTS. AS A CONSEQUENCE, GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT CRIMINALITY AND CRIME PREVENTION ARE BIASED BY VARIABLES RELATING TO INSTITUTIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL MECHANISMS FOR DEALING WITH CRIME, BY THE CRISIS IN CONFIDENCE FACING MOST WESTERN CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS, AND BY THE CULTURAL CONDITIONS, ATTITUDES, AND VALUES OF AN INDUSTRIALIZED AND WESTERN SOCIETY. DESPITE THESE BIASES, SUCH GENERALIZATIONS HAVE OFTEN BEEN EXPORTED TO DEVELOPING NATIONS TO DO MISCHIEF IN THE FORMS OF ACADEMICALLY TRAINED PROFESSIONALS, AND TRANSPLANTED SYSTEMS OF LAW, ENFORCEMENT, AND JUSTICE WHICH DO NOT FIT WITH THE EXISTING CULTURAL, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS. THERE IS A GREAT NEED TO REVERSE THIS SITUATION AND TO CONCENTRATE ON A MORE OBJECTIVE AND TRULY INTERNATIONAL APPROACH TO CRIMINOLOGY. STUDIES MUST INCLUDE CULTURES WITH INFORMAL SANCTION SYSTEMS. THE EFFECTS OF SPECIFIC RELIGIOUS TEACHINGS (I.E. BUDDHISM) ON CRIME OR OF POLITICAL IDEOLOGY ON CRIME AND CONTROL MEASURES MUST BE ASSESSED. THE IMPACT OF TRADITIONAL CULTURAL VALUES AND ATTITUDES ON CRIME, AS IN JAPAN, MUST BE STUDIED. THE DEFICIENCES OF CURRENT CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORIES OF CRIME ETIOLOGY ARE APPARENT WHEN PRESUMPTIVE FACTORS SUCH AS POVERTY, RELIGION, THE STATE OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, OPPRESSION, POPULATION, MENTAL DISORDER, AND LACK OF WARS ARE EXAMINED IN OTHER CULTURAL CONTEXTS. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT NO THEORY, MODEL, OR RESEARCH RESULT HAS RELIABILITY IF IT CANNOT BE VALIDATED BY THE WORLD PERSPECTIVE. A CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS OF BOTH DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES IS ESSENTIAL TO A MEANINGFUL AND VALID CRIMINOLOGY. NOTES AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (JAP)