Shujiro Yazawa

Japan at a critical crossroad What do you know about Japan? Answers to this question vary, depending on where people live, their social characteristics, and so on—but I can guess how familiar someone is with Japan by paying attention to the Japanese loanwords he or she uses. I am sure you know the following words: sukiyaki, tofu, tempura, sushi (foods), karaoke, bonsai, manga, otaku (cultural terms), kaizen, kanban, karoshi...

Shujiro Yazawa, President of the Japanese Sociological Society, has traveled to all corners of the globe, imbibing sociology wherever he goes -- the embodiment of what he calls multi-versality. He has been teaching sociology in Japan for more than 45 years, and has published 15 books and over 70 papers. He served on the Executive Committee of the International Sociological Association from 1994 to 2002. Long a proponent for holding...