Law in Everyday Japan: Sex, Sumo, Suicide, and Statutes

by Mark D. West

Lawsuits are rare events in most people's lives. High-stakes cases are even less commonplace. Why is it, then, that scholarship about the Japanese legal system has focused almost exclusively on epic court battles, large-scale social issues, and corporate governance? Mark D. West's Law in Everyday Japan fills a void in our understanding of the relationship between law and social life in Japan by shifting the focus to cases more representative of everyday Japanese life.

Compiling case studies based on seven fascinating themes—karaoke-based noise complaints, sumo wrestling, love hotels, post-Kobe earthquake condominium reconstruction, lost-and-found outcomes, working hours, and debt-induced suicide— Law in Everyday Japan offers a vibrant portrait of the way law intermingles with social norms, historically ingrained ideas, and cultural mores in Japan. Each example is informed by extensive fieldwork. West interviews all of the participants-from judges and lawyers to defendants, plaintiffs, and their families-to uncover an everyday Japan where law matters, albeit in very surprising ways.

Genres: Japan, Law, Nonfiction, True Crime

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved, loved, loved this book. One of my interests is Japanese noir, though I occasionally find these novels tough going due to the sometime inscrutability of Japanese culture. To help make these things more scrutable, I try to mix in a few nonfiction works on Japan, and this is really a great one. Using methods largely from economics, West examines the intersections between laws and social norms as they affect Japanese culture in seven areas, including the management of sumo wresting and the handling of karaoke noise complaints. Probably the most noirish chapters are those dealing with love hotels and debt-suicides. Academic but highly accessible. Witty, too.

[UChicagoLaw]

A wonderful book on Japanese law. West conducts interesting empirical studies on various aspects of Japanese life (including those listed in the subtitle) to show how law matters there. - Tom Ginsburg

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has a great chapter on Japanese love hotels, which is what I read it for, but the other chapters provide an interesting look into legal and social aspects of modern Japanese life.