Wednesday 7 February 2007
6:00pm – 6:00pm
Housing and Social Transition in Japan
Daiwa Foundation Japan House
Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
Edited by Yosuke Hirayama and Richard Ronald
Published by Routledge
In the post-war period Japan has experienced radical social and economic transformations, asserting itself as the world’s second largest economy by 1968. Housing and construction have been at the heart of this revitalization, a key socio-economic policy, and a stabilizing factor during rapid modernization. ‘Housing and Social Transition’ in Japan explores the nature of the Japanese housing system, focusing on how it has been embedded in wider structures of social and economic change.
While Japan demonstrates many of the characteristics of western housing and social systems, including mass home ownership and consumption-based lifestyles, economic growth and modernization have been achieved in balance with indigenous social values and practices. This book presents a number of perspectives on the Japanese housing system, outlining a comprehensive account of its dynamic role during a period of unprecedented social and economic change. Leading Japan-based specialists address a range of topical issues, questioning prevailing assumptions formed in western societies concerning the role of housing and dwelling in processes of social change.
‘Housing and Social Transition in Japan’ is part of the Taylor & Francis’ Housing and Society Series (Series Editor: Ray Forrest).
About the contributors
Professor Yosuke Hirayama
Yosuke Hirayama is Professor of Housing and Urban Studies at Kobe University. He is the author of several books on housing and urban transformations in Japanese, and has also published widely in international housing and urban research journals. He is a founding member of the Asia Pacific Housing Research Network.
Dr Richard Ronald
Richard Ronald is a Research Fellow at the Research Institute for Housing, Urban and Mobility Studies at Delft Technical University and was formerly a Research Fellow at Kobe University. He is the former recipient of the Japan Foundation Doctoral Fellowship and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Dr Misa Izuhara
Misa Izuhara is a Research Fellow in the School for Policy Studies at the University of Bristol. She has worked extensively in the areas of housing, ageing and social change. Her recent projects include comparative studies on care and inheritance funded by the ESRC. She is also the editor of the journal Policy & Politics.
Professor Ray Forrest
Ray Forrest (chair) is Professor of Urban Studies and Associate Director of the Centre for East Asian Studies, University of Bristol. He is a founding member of the Asia Pacific Network of Housing Researchers and is currently joint-editor of Housing Studies and co-editor of Asian Public Policy.