The objects of sociological analysis are fast-moving targets. Japanese society is no exception, as it has experienced colossal shifts on numerous fronts since 2003 when the second edition of this book was published. This third version expands on the previous editions, paying particular attention to three areas.

First, I sharpened the focus on class and stratification in Japanese society, a core feature of the book since its inception in 1997. The dominant discourse at the time and in earlier decades portrayed Japan as a uniquely homogeneous, classless society. In recent times we have witnessed a paradigmatic shift in which social disparities and cultural divisions are now emphasized or even overemphasized. While I welcome this unexpected turn of events, I also feel I must observe some caution in dealing with the emerging framework which ostensibly resembles the model that we began formulating some three decades ago.

Second, this third edition not only updates demographic data but elaborates on novel developments in Japanese society. We have, for example, included sections on the expansion of cultural capitalism, the casualization of labor, the rise of the popular culture industry, and the spread of civil society. Readers of the previous editions will notice that some of these discussions reflect my most recent thinking on Japanese society in the context of globalization and transnational interactions.

Third, I made a deliberate attempt to engage with aspects of Japanese society that hardly appear on the radar of mainstream English publications on Japan.