Mathieu Deflem, Editor
Google Scholar | ResearchGate | ORCID
Hiroshi Takahashi, Editor
Kobe University, Japan
Dimitri Vanoverbeke, Editor
The University of Tokyo, Japan
Jason G. Karlin, Editor
The University of Tokyo, Japan
This book is published as Volume 30 of Sociology of Crime, Law, and Deviance.
Published by Emerald Publishing (Leeds, UK), June 2025.
ISBN-10: 1836088698 | ISBN-13: 9781836088691
© 2025
SYNOPSIS
Law and Culture in Japan: Institutions, Justice, and Media brings together scholars from various disciplinary backgrounds to discuss a variety of aspects and developments related to law and culture in contemporary Japan. Some scholars have law as their primary field of study and from that viewpoint focus on connections with culture, while others are first and foremost scholars of culture who link their research themes to norms and regulations. The interconnection between law and culture in Japanese society is the central substantive focus of the book. Thematically linked, the chapters are diverse in terms of theory, methodology, and (multi-)disciplinary perspective, discussing institutions of law, crime and justice, and various media. Written by expert scholars who work in Japan, the chapters in this book communicate research on law and culture in Japanese society to a broad audience. As such, this edited volume is essentially oriented at scholars and students who are located outside of Japan, yet who share similar scholarly interests in law, culture, and the interconnections between them.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part I – INSTITUTIONS
Introduction to Part I
Hiroshi Takahashi
Constitution and Legal Culture in Japan: A Systems Theoretical Interpretation of the Japanese Constitutional Crisis of 2015
Takemitsu Morikawa
Law as a Reason for Action and Inaction: The Case of Japan
Masaki Abe
Gender Inequality and the Legitimacy of Japan’s Shared Surname System: An Analysis of Law Textbooks
Hiroshi Takahashi
Access to Courts in Japan: A Gender Perspective
Kyoko Ishida
Part II – JUSTICE
Introduction to Part II
Dimitri Vanoverbeke
Policing of the People, By the People, and For the People? Obeying the Law and Conforming to Peers in Japan
Kiyoshi Abe
Cannabis Law Reform in Japan: Going With or Against the Tide?
David Brewster
Lay Judges and the Hesitant Shift in Japan’s Criminal Trial Culture
Dimitri Vanoverbeke
Judges and Wrongful Convictions in Japan: A Study of Judicial Culture
Makoto Ibusuki and David T. Johnson
Violence Against Women in Japan: A Review of Recent Trends and the Implications of Victimization Survey Results
Masahiro Tsushima
Part III – MEDIA
Introduction to Part III
Jason G. Karlin
Entertainers and Agents in Japan and Asia: Who’s Working for Whom?
Dan Rosen
Regulation and Negotiation: A Case Study on Sexual Expressions in Japanese Boys’ Love Manga and TV Drama
Wei-Jung Chang
Media Incitements in Japan: Social Contagion, Self-Harm, and Freedom of Expression
Jason G. Karlin
Post-Populism Legislation: Criminal Policy in Japan since the 2010s
Wei Guo
AVAILABILITY
This book is available via Amazon/resellers and from the publisher.
See preview via Google Books. TBA
