Family and Social Policy in Japan: Anthropological Approaches - Paperback

by Harumi Befu (Editor), Wolfgang Seifert (Editor), Chizuko Ueno (Editor)

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.