The volume takes four key themes related to ageing - the experience of old age; intergenerational relations; economics of and social policy for ageing; longevity and the culture of ageing - and examines how these issues are emerging in different regions of Asia, specifically, the former Soviet Union, South Asia, China, Japan and South-East Asia. In placing these Asian cases studies in the broader context of debates about, and policies on, ageing more generally, it brings them into the mainstream of comparative research on ageing from which they have been too often excluded. As the studies show, the relationship between ageing and poverty is a complex one and often reflects policy towards the aged rather than that the aged themselves are unproductive and dependent. Ageing, moreover, can no longer be considered as simply a national question; we also need to consider the implications of its global dimension in terms of issues such as human rights and quality of life.

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Japanese society is often referred to as an example of a homogeneous culture moderated by an ethos of groupism. Yet often enough homogeneity is its own worst enemy as norms are required and enforced at the centre of power to the detriment of individual and human rights.

Over the past thirty years, whilst Japan has produced a diverse set of youth cultures which have had a major impact on popular culture across the globe, it has also developed a succession of youth problems which have led to major concerns within the country itself. Drawing on detailed empirical fieldwork, the authors of this volume set these issues in a clearly articulated social constructionist framework, and put forth a sociology of Japanese youth problems which argues that there is a certain predictability about the way in which these problems are discovered, defined and dealt with.

The chapters include case studies covering issues such as:

Returnee children (kikokushijo)

Compensated dating (enjo k sai)

Corporal punishment (taibatsu)

Bullying (ijime)

Child abuse (jid gyakutai)

The withdrawn youth (hikikomori) and

NEETs (not in education, employment or training)

By examining these various social problems collectively, A Sociology of Japanese Youth explains why particular youth problems appeared when they did and what lessons they can provide for the study of youth problems in other societies.

This book will be of huge interest to students and scholars of Japanese society and culture, the sociology of Japan, Japanese anthropology and the comparative sociology of youth studies.

Over the past thirty years, whilst Japan has produced a diverse set of youth cultures which have had a major impact on popular culture across the globe, it has also developed a succession of youth problems which have led to major concerns within the country itself. Drawing on detailed empirical fieldwork, the authors of this volume set these issues in a clearly articulated social constructionist framework, and put forth a sociology of Japanese youth problems which argues that there is a certain predictability about the way in which these problems are discovered, defined and dealt with.

The chapters include case studies covering issues such as:

Returnee children (kikokushijo)

Compensated dating (enjo k sai)

Corporal punishment (taibatsu)

Bullying (ijime)

Child abuse (jid gyakutai)

The withdrawn youth (hikikomori) and

NEETs (not in education, employment or training)

By examining these various social problems collectively, A Sociology of Japanese Youth explains why particular youth problems appeared when they did and what lessons they can provide for the study of youth problems in other societies.

This book will be of huge interest to students and scholars of Japanese society and culture, the sociology of Japan, Japanese anthropology and the comparative sociology of youth studies.

The Japanese have long regarded themselves as a homogenous nation, clearly separate from other nations. However, this long-standing view is being undermined by the present international reality of increased global population movement. This has resulted in the establishment both of significant Japanese communities outside Japan, and of large non-Japanese minorities within Japan, and has forced the Japanese to re-conceptualise their nationality in new and more flexible ways. This work provides a comprehensive overview of these issues and examines the context of immigration to and emigration from Japan. It considers the development of important Japanese overseas communities in six major cities worldwide, the experiences of immigrant communities in Japan, as well as assessing the consequences for the Japanese people's view of themselves as a nation.

The Japanese have long regarded themselves as a homogenous nation, clearly separate from other nations. However, this long-standing view is being undermined by the present international reality of increased global population movement. This has resulted in the establishment both of significant Japanese communities outside Japan, and of large non-Japanese minorities within Japan, and has forced the Japanese to re-conceptualise their nationality in new and more flexible ways.
This work provides a comprehensive overview of these issues and examines the context of immigration to and emigration from Japan. It considers the development of important Japanese overseas communities in six major cities worldwide, the experiences of immigrant communities in Japan, as well as assessing the consequences for the Japanese people's view of themselves as a nation.

There is increasing interest in East Asian welfare models as many politicians in both East and seek out examples to underpin their own ideas for reform. In this, the first broad ranging study of the East Asian welfare, the contributors explore the experiences of six societies in East Asia and make clear the realities behind the political rhetoric. They examine the role of the state within welfare systems using case studies of pensions, health insurance, housing and personal social services. The result is the only up-to-date detailed analysis in English of how these various systems have developed and will continue to develop in the future. It will be a valuable and wide ranging resource for both students and policy-makers alike.

Series Information:
ESRC Pacific Asia

Japanese society is often referred to as an example of a homogeneous culture moderated by an ethos of groupism. Yet, often enough, homogeneity is its own worst enemy as norms are required and enforced at the centre of power to the detriment of individual and human rights. In a similar way, groupism generates many contexts of exclusivity which can also result in debilitating environments of second class citizens.

The volume takes four key themes related to ageing - the experience of old age; intergenerational relations; economics of and social policy for ageing; longevity and the culture of ageing - and examines how these issues are emerging in different regions of Asia, specifically, the former Soviet Union, South Asia, China, Japan and South-East Asia. In placing these Asian cases studies in the broader context of debates about, and policies on, ageing more generally, it brings them into the mainstream of comparative research on ageing from which they have been too often excluded. As the studies show, the relationship between ageing and poverty is a complex one and often reflects policy towards the aged rather than that the aged themselves are unproductive and dependent. Ageing, moreover, can no longer be considered as simply a national question; we also need to consider the implications of its global dimension in terms of issues such as human rights and quality of life.

Tracing the history of feminism in Japan from the end of the nineteenth century to the present, Vera Mackie offers a fascinating account of those who rebelled against convention in the dissemination of ideas which challenged accepted ways of thinking about women, men and society. This carefully documented analysis is for students of feminism and related areas where nothing comparable is currently available.

Social policies reflect important ideas about the relationship between the state and the individual. This book examines this relationship in a number of unexplored areas in Japanese society, including policies relating to fertility, perinatal care, child care, sexuality and elder care. It concludes that a major transformation occurred during the 1990s as a result of Japan's changing economy, demography and civil society. The volume challenges many Western preconceptions about Japanese society.

Social policies reflect important ideas about the relationship between the state and the individual. This book examines this relationship in a number of unexplored areas in Japanese society, including policies relating to fertility, perinatal care, child care, sexuality and elder care. It concludes that a major transformation occurred during the 1990s as a result of Japan's changing economy, demography and civil society. The volume challenges many Western preconceptions about Japanese society.

On April 1, 2004, Japanese higher education experienced a 'big bang'a set of reforms that have been described as the most significant institutional changes for over a century. One of the main aims is to make Japanese universities more competitive internationally, by eliminating the differences between national, public and private schools, and by giving them greater autonomy from the state in day-to-day administration and decision-making. At the same time, these institutions are facing an increasing demographic crisis, as they compete for a declining number of potential students, thanks to the falling Japanese birthrate. This book examines these changes from a variety of perspectives, including those of the government, the teachers and the students. Issues examined include the history of Japanese universities, their relation with the state, university management, internationalization, the struggle to attract students, the problems of language teaching, the impact of information technol

Globally, private universities enrol one in three of all higher education students. In Japan, which has the second largest higher education system in the world in terms of overall expenditure, almost 80% of all university students attend private institutions. According to some estimates up to 40% of these institutions are family businesses in the sense that members of a single family have substantive ownership or control over their operation. This updated edition of Family-Run Universities in Japan offers a detailed historical, sociological, and ethnographic analysis of this important, but largely under-studied, category of private universities as family business. It examines how such universities in Japan have negotiated a period of major demographic decline since the 1990s: their experiments in restructuring and reform, the diverse experiences of those who worked and studied within them and, above all, their unexpected resilience. It argues that this resilience derives from a number of 'inbuilt' strengths of family business which are often overlooked in conventional descriptions of higher education systems and in predictions regarding the capacity of universities to cope with dramatic changes in their operating environment. This book offers a new perspective on recent changes in the Japanese higher education sector and contributes to an emerging literature on private higher education and family business across the world.

This book examines what happens to children in contemporary Japan when they come into the care of the state. It explores Japanese ideas of adoption, fostering, child abuse, and child protection, and provides the first full account in English of the development and delivery of child welfare in the world's second largest economy.