Fumie Kumagai – författare

Modern-day Japan has proven to be a complex nation struggling to combine traditional attitudes with the political and social demands of an advanced industrialized economy. This struggle to balance the past with the present has had a significant impact on the structure of human relations in contemporary Japan, particularly in the areas of the family and family dynamics, lifestyles, the education of children, the socialization of youth, women in the workplace, and the elderly. In all cases, we find a dual structure where traditional values and modern practices coexist. Based on a dual perspective that incorporates modern Western capitalism into Japan's traditional agrarian society, this book reveals a complex of cultural assumptions that determine the manners and customs of the Japanese people.

Fumie Kumagai, a Japanese family sociologist with keen insight into regional variations and a comparative perspective, analyzes the dynamics and variations in Japanese families throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The theoretical frameworks utilized are the dual structural perspective and the community network in the Information Age Society. This book provides insightful sociological analyses of Japanese families, paying attention not only to national average data, but also to regional variations and community level analyses. It is a paradigm shift from former studies of Japanese families, which relied on national average data only. The focus is on sociocultural variations and the diversity of families in Japan. Topics include marriage, divorce, fertility rates, the elderly, labor force participation, population decline, trends among youth, and the changing roles of women.

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 studentsof the topic, but also to those specializing in sociology, psychology, anthropology and comparative family studies around the globe.

This book provides insightful sociological analyses of Japanese demography and families, paying attention not only to national average data, but also to regional variations and community level analyses. In analyzing Japanese family issues such as demographic changes, courtship and marriage, international marriage, divorce, late-life divorce, and the elderly living alone, this book emphasizes the significance of two theoretical frameworks: the dual structure and regional variations of the community network in Japan.By emphasizing the extensive cultural diversity from one region to another, this book represents a paradigm shift from former studies of Japanese families, which relied mostly on national average data. The method of analysis adopted in the study is qualitative, with a historical perspective. The book is thus an invitation to more in-depth, qualitative dialogue in the field of family sociology in Japan.This book will be of great interest not only to Asian scholars, but also to other specialists in comparative family studies around the world.

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 studentsof the topic, but also to those specializing in sociology, psychology, anthropology and comparative family studies around the globe.

This book provides an insightful sociological study of the declining Japanese population, using statistical analysis to establish the significance of municipal power using demographic data on national, regional, prefectural and municipal levels. Penned by one of Japan's eminent sociologists, it provides a quantitative characterization of population decline in Japan with a focus on regional variation, and identifies the principal explanatory factors through GPI statistical software tools such as G-census and EvaCva, within a historical perspective. Furthermore, it offers a qualitative assessment of what constitutes ‘municipal power’ as this relates to regional/local revitalization as a means of addressing municipal population decline. Using Goki-Shichido as a theoretical framework, this book pays special attention to municipal variations within the same prefecture, presenting a completely unique approach. In combining these two dimensions of analyses, the book successfully reveals the impact of municipal power and socio-cultural identity of social capital in the region, from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives at the municipal level. Demography issues in Japan have been receiving increasing attention among researchers given the growing number of declining populations in developed countries, in tandem with rapid aging and low fertility trends. Providing an original and unique contribution to regional population analysis in the fields of regional demography, historical demography and regional population policy, this book shows that the revitalization of the community is vital if Japan is to increase its population, so as to renew a community ‘raison d'être’. The book is of interest to scholars of Asian studies more broadly, and to sociologists, demographers, and policymakers interested in population studies, specifically."Providing an informative and vivid overview of the demographic situation of Japan, the author offers excellent suggestions for effective regional policy in confronting a shrinking society. This book presents a unique analysis of the regional variations on small municipal levels, with demographic variables, social indicators and historical identities.　An original contribution to regional population analysis in the fields of regional population policy, regional demography and historical demography."-  Toshihiko Hara, Professor Emeritus, Sapporo City University

This book provides an insightful sociological study of the declining Japanese population, using statistical analysis to establish the significance of municipal power using demographic data on national, regional, prefectural and municipal levels. Penned by one of Japan's eminent sociologists, it provides a quantitative characterization of population decline in Japan with a focus on regional variation, and identifies the principal explanatory factors through GPI statistical software tools such as G-census and EvaCva, within a historical perspective. Furthermore, it offers a qualitative assessment of what constitutes ‘municipal power’ as this relates to regional/local revitalization as a means of addressing municipal population decline. Using Goki-Shichido as a theoretical framework, this book pays special attention to municipal variations within the same prefecture, presenting a completely unique approach. In combining these two dimensions of analyses, the book successfully reveals the impact of municipal power and socio-cultural identity of social capital in the region, from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives at the municipal level. Demography issues in Japan have been receiving increasing attention among researchers given the growing number of declining populations in developed countries, in tandem with rapid aging and low fertility trends. Providing an original and unique contribution to regional population analysis in the fields of regional demography, historical demography and regional population policy, this book shows that the revitalization of the community is vital if Japan is to increase its population, so as to renew a community ‘raison d'être’. The book is of interest to scholars of Asian studies more broadly, and to sociologists, demographers, and policymakers interested in population studies, specifically."Providing an informative and vivid overview of the demographic situation of Japan, the author offers excellent suggestions for effective regional policy in confronting a shrinking society. This book presents a unique analysis of the regional variations on small municipal levels, with demographic variables, social indicators and historical identities.　An original contribution to regional population analysis in the fields of regional population policy, regional demography and historical demography."-  Toshihiko Hara, Professor Emeritus, Sapporo City University

This book provides an insightful sociological study of the shrinking Japanese population through a regional variation perspective as it varies significantly by municipality, even within the same prefecture.

This book provides an insightful sociological study of the shrinking Japanese population through a regional variation perspective as it varies significantly by municipality, even within the same prefecture.

Taking the Goki-Shichido (Five Home Provinces and Seven Circuits of Ancient Japan) as a theoretical framework, this book examines shrinking Japan from a regional variation perspective by municipality along the ancient Tokaido, which comprises 15 provinces, and seven prefectures today.

This book provides insightful sociological analyses of Japanese demography and families, paying attention not only to national average data, but also to regional variations and community level analyses. In analyzing Japanese family issues such as demographic changes, courtship and marriage, international marriage, divorce, late-life divorce, and the elderly living alone, this book emphasizes the significance of two theoretical frameworks: the dual structure and regional variations of the community network in Japan.By emphasizing the extensive cultural diversity from one region to another, this book represents a paradigm shift from former studies of Japanese families, which relied mostly on national average data. The method of analysis adopted in the study is qualitative, with a historical perspective. The book is thus an invitation to more in-depth, qualitative dialogue in the field of family sociology in Japan.This book will be of great interest not only to Asian scholars, but also to other specialists in comparative family studies around the world.

This book pays special attention to municipal variations within the same prefecture, presenting a completely unique approach from what other researchers have pursued. Taking the Goki-Shichido (Five Home Provinces and Seven Circuits of Ancient Japan) as a theoretical framework, this book examines shrinking Japan from a regional variation perspective by municipality along the ancient Sannindo, which comprises eight provinces, and four prefectures today. The study identifies the principal explanatory factors based on the small area data of e-Stat through GPS statistical software tools such as G-census and EvaCva, within a historical perspective. This historical knowledge helps in understanding the significance of the regional cultural heritage that remains in each municipality today. This book studies two present-day prefectures along the ancient Sannindo for detailed analyses of the impacts of regional variations of population decline in Japan. They are northern and central parts of Kyoto Prefecture, made up of the former Tango and Tamba provinces, and Tottori Prefecture, formed by the ancient provinces of Inaba and Houki. The reasons for selecting these two prefectures of the ancient Sannindo are twofold. First, they are made up of a multiple number of the ancient provinces. Second, other prefecture that fall under the Sannindo, i.e., Shimane Prefecture has been studied in the previous works of the present author by adopting the same methods of analyses. Thus, by presenting unique analyses of regional variations on small municipal levels in Kyoto and Tottori prefectures along the Sannindo, this book offers suggestions for effective regional policy to revitalize shrinking Japan to a sustainable one.