While the problem of domestic violence has been widely researched around the world, Japan has only recently recognized domestic violence as a serious social problem. Indeed, within Japanese culture, domestic violence has long been considered a personal matter and, as such, social policy is just now beginning to address it as a threat to the public health. The current study utilized semistructured interviews in a focus group format to explore women’s experiences of domestic violence, as well as the sociocultural reinforcements and the function of male partner violence within Japanese society. Participants were 64 women who had experienced domestic violence and answered questions regarding family demographics, the types of violence experienced, the context in which the violence had occurred, their response to the violence, and their perceptions of how Japanese culture had impacted their experience of domestic violence. Results of content analysis revealed the many types of violence experienced by the women and the many tactics used to reinforce the effects of the violence. Based on the analysis, the author correlated male partner violence in Japan with a spider web that is kept together by the Japanese patriarchal clan system and the cultural ideology of male dominance. The findings have implications for cross-cultural domestic violence intervention work. Figures, notes, references