The System of Japanese Society

'Eiji Oguma has produced a superb new historical interpretation of Japan's often vaunted and often criticized system of labor and employment. With timely global comparisons and fine insight, he both synthesizes the work of generations of scholars, and reframes this body of scholarship with important new interpretative angles. He makes a convincing and richly detailed case for the key role of state bureaucratic systems as the model upon which both capital and labor over time shaped private sector employment practices. He also makes a persuasive case for the lack of significant change in ""Japanese-style employment"" since the 1990s, with persistent gender norms as the key explanatory factor. A must-read for anyone interested to understand Japan's modern history, Japanese society today, and the powerful connections of past and present.' ----- Andrew Gordon, Lee and Juliet Folger Fund Professor of History, Harvard University. 'Eiji Oguma is one of Japan's most creative and influential sociologists. This book is another demonstration of his talents. Oguma draws on a wide range of sources to explore the origins and persistence of the Japanese employment system. He maintains that Japanese workplace practices cannot be understood without considering their history, not can they be isolated from broader collective norms and tacit rules that infuse other spheres of Japanese society. The book goes beyond the stereotype of permanently employed workers, predominantly male, to the majority of employees in smaller and less generous firms, where women are overrepresented. Japan specialists will need to reckon with Oguma's arguments, while those less familiar with these topics will find The System of Japanese Society the best introduction currently available in English.' ----- Sanford Jacoby, Distinguished Research Professor, UCLA Anderson School of Management.