With more than 700 alphabetically arranged entries, The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japanese Culture offers extensive coverage of Japanese culture spanning from the end of the Japanese Imperialist period in 1945, right up to the present day. Entries range from shorter definitions, histories or biographies to longer overview essays giving an in-depth treatment of major issues. Culture is defined in its broadest sense to allow for coverage of the diversity of practice and production in a country as vibrant and rapidly changing as Japan.

Including a new preface by the editor to bring the book fully up-to-date with cultural developments since 2001, this Encyclopedia will be an invaluable reference tool for students of Japanese and Asian Studies, as well as providing a fascinating insight into Japanese culture for the general reader.

Offering extensive coverage, this Encyclopedia is a new reference that reflects the vibrant, diverse and evolving culture of modern Japan, spanning from the end of the Japanese Imperialist period in 1945 to the present day. Entries cover areas such as literature, film, architecture, food, health, political economy, religion and technology and they range from shorter definitions, histories or biographies to longer overview essays giving an in-depth treatment of major issues.
With over 700 alphabetically arranged entries, this Encyclopedia will be an invaluable reference tool for students of Japanese and Asian Studies, as well as providing a fascinating insight into Japanese culture for the general reader. Suggestions for further reading, a comprehensive system of cross-referencing, a thematic contents list and an extensive index all help navigate the reader around the Encyclopedia and on to further study.

- Practical in its scope and coverage, the authors have provided a tool-kit for the medical professional in the often complex field of medical informatics

- All editors are from the Geisinger Health System, which has one of the largest Electron Health systmes in the USA, and is high in the list of the AMIA "100 Most Wire" healthcare systems

- Describes the latest successes and pitfalls

"Broken Silence" brings together for the first time many of Japan's leading feminists, women who have been bucking the social mores of a patriarchal society for years but who remain virtually unknown outside Japan. While Japan is often thought to be without a significant feminist presence, these interviews and essays reveal a vital community of women fighting for social change. Sandra Buckley's dialogues with poets, journalists, teachers, activists, and businesswomen exemplify the diversity of Japanese feminism: we meet Kanazumi Fumiko, a lawyer who assists women in a legal system that has long discriminated against them; Kora Rumiko, a poet who reclaims and redefines language to convey her experiences as a woman; Nakanishi Toyoko, founder of the Japanese Women's Bookstore; and Ueno Chizuko, a professor who has tackled such issues as pornography and abortion reform both in and out of the academy. These women speak to a host of issues - the politics of language, the treatment of women in medicine and law, the deeply entrenched role of women as mothers and caregivers, the future of feminism in Japan, and the relationship between Japanese feminists and 'western' feminisms. "Broken Silence" will do much to dispel Western stereotypes about Japanese women and challenge North American attitudes about feminism abroad. With a timeline, glossary, and comprehensive list of feminist organizations, this is a long overdue collection sure to inform and excite all those interested in feminism and Japan.