Law in everyday Japan : sex, sumo, suicide, and statutes / Mark D. West.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

West, Mark D.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Law--Japan.

Law.

Law and economics.

Sociological jurisprudence.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (295 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

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.

Contents:

Introduction

Lost and found

Sumo

Karaoke

Earthquakes and condominiums

Love hotels

Working hours

Debt-suicide

Conclusions and implications.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780226894096

0226894096

OCLC:

707067845