SOCIOLOGICAL WORK IN JAPAN

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of contemporary sociol ogy in Japan. The sociological discipline in Japan has made remarkable progress since World War II. The rapid economic growth during the 196 0s, which was prompted by Western influence, had an effect on the dire ction of the discipline's development. After providing a brief overvie w of historical events, I consider scholarly publications during the l ast 30 years to illuminate substantive trends in sociological research . As might be predicted, the changing substantive interests of Japanes e sociologists have been in many ways a response to societal changes a nd needs. I also examine the trends in theory, methods, and empirical research. A content analysis of articles published in the major Japane se sociological journals shows the growing emphasis on theoretical sch olarship and the decreasing emphasis on empirical research in recent y ears. The conclusion presents some considerations concerning the futur e direction of Japanese sociology.