Secrets, Sex, and Spectacle: The Rules of Scandal in Japan and the United States

by Mark D. West

A leader of a global superpower is betrayed by his mistress, who makes public the sordid details of their secret affair. His wife stands by as he denies the charges. Debates over definitions of moral leadership ensue. Sound familiar? If you guessed Clinton and Lewinsky, try again. This incident involved former Japanese prime minister Sosuke Uno and a geisha. In Secrets, Sex, and Spectacle, Mark D. West organizes the seemingly random worlds of Japanese and American scandal—from corporate fraud to baseball cheaters, political corruption to celebrity sexcapades—to explore well-ingrained similarities and contrasts in law and society. In Japan and the United States, legal and organizational rules tell us what kind of behavior is considered scandalous. When Japanese and American scandal stories differ, those rules—rules that define what’s public and what’s private, rules that protect injuries to dignity and honor, and rules about sex, to name a few—often help explain the differences. In the cases of Clinton and Uno, the rules help explain why the media didn’t cover Uno’s affair, why Uno’s wife apologized on her husband’s behalf, and why Uno—and not Clinton—resigned. Secrets, Sex, and Spectacle offers a novel approach to viewing the phenomenon of scandal—one that will be applauded by anyone who has obsessed over (or ridiculed) these public episodes.

Genres: Japan, True Crime, Anthropology, Nonfiction

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Felipe · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

As always, Mark D. West is imminently easy to read and super informative; his work is never a chore to get through.
However, as is my wont when I find small details that are (a) connected to my own research and (b) carelessly un-fact-checked (aka wrong), I get a little tetchy. It also makes me question other little facts that may or may not have received a similar treatment and just aren't in my own little niche, so there is that as well.

Also, the man used endnotes. Granted, that is likely the fault of the publisher and not the author, but endnotes are such a massive pain and really limit the likelihood that ANYONE is going to check your sources or look for the extra information. Kindle is working to solve this problem, and in some cases it works, but barring an exclusively Kindle publication, endnotes just SUCK.

Also, how do I get to be a big enough academic name to use contractions in my works??

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, this book took a while to get going--too much scholarship and too little scandal early on, I suppose. However, once author Mark D. West had finished setting the table in the book's second section (titled "Players"), I found Secrets, Sex, and Spectacle: The Rules of Scandal in Japan and the United States almost as enjoyable as his wonderful Law in Everyday Japan: Sex, Sumo, Suicide, and Statutes. West is a lively, witty writer, and Japanophiles will find much of interest in both books.

[Walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most awesome and unlikely, indeed really obscure book i've read in a while. this book is an academics study of comparative scandals and why they play out so differently in american and japanese culture. it may sound weird, but if you are like me you don't read a lot of comparative cultural studies and this is a great one.

[Jason Keenan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great look at group culture in Japan though comparing how the law and society respond to scandals in the business, political, and entertainment worlds. And it's interesting to see the evolution towards western ideas (which may not be a good thing) that is happening over time.