An Introduction to Japanese Society: Preface to the fourth edition

Writing a revised and expanded edition of a book is akin to renovating a house. Extensions must be added to the existing structure to give space to fresh realities, while other sections require updating or redesigning. Although the main structure of this book has stood the test of time since its initial publication in 1997, keeping up with the changing features of Japanese society in the 2010s requires me to amend many of its parts, a task which has been both exhausting and intellectually rewarding. The readers of the past three editions will find some new furnishings and appliances in the renovated house, including sections on the spread of Japan’s pop culture abroad and the ‘Cool Japan’ debate; the Fukushima nuclear explosion and its aftermath; the ‘history war’ between some Japanese and some in neighboring countries; and the expansion of English-language education and its implications. In all chapters, I have made considerable changes to reflect the rise of new developments and the fall of old patterns, while updating demographic data as much as possible.