Members of the accountancy profession in japan practice with the title of CPA under the CPA Law of 1948. The CPA law deals with issues such as examinations,qualifications, registration, duties, and responsibilities of CPAs; audit corporations;
the CPA board; JICPA; and disciplinary procedures. Because of the cultural value of collectivism, an independent auditor in Japan does not fit the role of someone to be trusted or relied on and the auditor has difficulty being accepted by clients. Japanese corporations do not typically trust outsiders, and that includes (Japanese) auditors. The relatively low status of the accounting profession within Japanese society is reflected in the fact that very few CPAs hold top positions in industry and commerce. Instead, such positions are often held by people with engineering and science backgrounds. Japan has only about 15,000 CPAs (population 727.2 million), compared to about 250,000 in the United States (population 307.2 million).