1st Edition
Mutual Help Networks in Japanese Society An International Comparison of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands Region
Onda compares Japan’s traditional mutual help practices, an integral part of the nation’s societal fabric, with other countries across Asia including Korea, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and in the Pacific Islands Region in Palau and Pohnpei.
The book advocates for the revitalization of the mutual help that has declined due to modernization characterized by changes in production and our urban lifestyle. It sheds light on the fading awareness of traditional mutual help practices and encourages the rediscovery of new connections and bonds in contemporary society. Onda’s comparative approach reveals the characteristics of mutual help networks based on the similarities (universality) and differences (uniqueness) with Japan’s mutual help practices, that stems from the social structures of individual regions.
A vital resource for scholars in sociology, folklore studies, social welfare, or economics and those interested in human connections, mutual help and cooperation.
Preface
Author Biography
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding
Writing Guidelines
Survey Method
Introduction
Part Ⅰ. Mutual Help Networks of East Asian Countries
1. Japan
2. South Korea
3. China
4. Taiwan
5. Comparison and Transfer of Mutual Help Practices among East Asia
Part Ⅱ. Mutual Help Networks of South East Asian Countries
6. The Philippines
7. Indonesia
8. Thailand
9. Malaysia
10. Vietnam
Part III. Mutual Help Networks in the Pacific Islands Region
11. Palau
12. Pohnpei
13. Transfer of Mutual Help Practices between Japan and the Pacific Islands Region
Afterword
Index
Biography
Morio Onda is a professor at a private university and worked as a part-time lecturer at the University of Tokyo and Keio University in Japan. He is the president of the Society of Economic Sociology (2022-2025). His research focuses on mutual help networks.