Understanding Japanese Society

This is a welcome new edition of this bestselling textbook. It provides a clear, accessible and readable introduction to Japanese society which does not require any previous knowledge of the country. Fully updated, revised and expanded, the 3rd edition contains new material on the effects of the Asian crisis and recession in Japan, the emergence of millennial cults such as Aum Shinrikyo, major advances in sport and leisure including the 2002 World Cup and the global popularity of Pokemon, Japanese animation and computer games, the tumultuous changes in the Japanese ruling elite, the Ainu and other Japanese minorities, and debates about the future of the Japanese constitution and the resurgence of nationalism and militarism.