Description:
This book puts forth a sociology of Japanese youth problems showing that the Japanese media draw on an equally, if not more, perplexing gallery of social categories when it discusses youth than affluent Western societies such as the US or UK and that Japan is no less replete with social problems involving young people and no less capable of generating hysteria over the fate of its youth than affluent Western societies such as the US or UK.
Review Quotes:
"This superb collection of essays presents a social constructionist analysis of why youth problems erupt when they do and how they evolve. This is an exceptionally well-written book that is destined to become a classic in Japanese studies and is a truly collaborative effort that benefits from a high degree of dialogue between the authors." - Jeff Kingston, Temple University Japan; The Japan Times, Sunday, May 20, 2012
"The approach adopted in this book is unique... A characteristic of this book that has not been seen in others is that it delves into the public discourse that explains youg people." - Yuji Genda, University of Tokyo; Journal of Japanese Studies 39.1, 2013.