Springer Family Violence in Japan: A Life Course Perspective

This book provides fresh sociological analyses on family violence in Japan. Aimed at an international audience, the authors adopt a life course perspective in presenting their research. Following a comprehensive overview of family violence in Japan in both historical and contemporary contexts, it then goes on to define the extent and causes of child abuse, intimate partner violence, filial violence, and elder abuse. In doing so, the book is the first of its kind to look at these different types of violence in Japanese families and simultaneously incorporate historical development of individuals and intergenerational factors. Furthermore, its reliance on the life course perspective enables readers to obtain a broader understanding of family violence in the country. Written by five Japanese family sociologists who have identified various major sociocultural characteristics that either induce or suppress family violence in Japan, it is a valuable resource not only to scholars and students of the topic, but also to those specializing in sociology, psychology, anthropology and comparative family studies around the globe. From the Back Cover This book provides fresh sociological analyses on family violence in Japan. Aimed at an international audience, the authors adopt a life course perspective in presenting their research. Following a comprehensive overview of family violence in Japan in both historical and contemporary contexts, it then goes on to define the extent and causes of child abuse, intimate partner violence, filial violence, and elder abuse. In doing so, the book is the first of its kind to look at these different types of violence in Japanese families and simultaneously incorporate historical development of individuals and intergenerational factors. Furthermore, its reliance on the life course perspective enables readers to obtain a broader understanding of family violence in the country. Written by five Japanese family sociologists who have identified various major sociocultural characteristics that either induce or suppress family violence in Japan, it is a valuable resource not only to scholars and students of the topic, but also to those specializing in sociology, psychology, anthropology and comparative family studies around the globe. About the Author Fumie Kumagai, Ph.D., is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Kyorin University, Tokyo, Japan. She obtained a doctorate from the University of New Hampshire at Durham under the direction of Professor Murray A. Straus, a founder of sociological studies of family violence. Subsequently, she served as a project assistant for Prof. Straus on the U.S. National Family Violence Survey, and is well versed to family violence studies through a life course perspective. She has extensive experience in the West as a student, college professor and researcher. Her overseas experience affords her a unique cross-cultural perspective in the field of families and demography, social issues, and intercultural communication. In discussing Japanese society, culture, and families, she acts as a “voice in the wilderness” insisting it is vial to pay close attention to regional variations rather than taking Japan as a whole. She has authored 22 books, of them five in English, and numerous articles both in Japanese and in English. Masako Ishii-Kuntz, Ph.D., is Professor of Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences at Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan. Prior to her present appointment, she was a faculty member in Sociology Department at the University of California, Riverside for 20 years during which she created and taught several undergraduate and graduate courses on family violence. She authored many books and articles on the division of household labor in Japan and the U.S. Her articles appeared in such journals as Journal of Marriage and Family, Family Relations, and Journal of Family Issues. Her most recent research funded by the Japan Society for the Promo