The relationless Japanese society and the practices of belonging during the COVID-19 pandemic

Delakorda Kawashima, Tinka (author)

The aging of the population, lonely deaths (kadokushi), single-member households, and weak local bonds have been given as signs that Japan is now a “relationless society”, or muen shakai. The term muen shakai has been used by the media to describe a society in which social isolation is intensified because of the lack of connection between immediate family mem-bers, more distant relatives, and local community. On the other hand, some sociological and religious studies on Japanese society have shown that it is precisely this social isolation that awakens the need for networking, and even excessive networking. This article studies what types of social relations became highlighted under the new conditions of recommended social isolation due to COVID-19. The Japanese government did not explicitly forbid and sanction socializing, leaving the responsibility and duty for common health to individuals as well as members of groups. It seems that the way in which Japanese society has fought COVID-19 largely depends on existing interpersonal ties and belonging to certain groups and communities. I look at sociocultural factors in social relations in Japan, to examine whether the ties and belonging to groups and communities, which has been more to the fore during COVID-19, is something new in the society or existed preceding the pandemic.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Japanese society, COVID-19, social isolation, social identity, practices of belonging, muen shakai, relationless society, sociocultural factors
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: Str. 45-68
• Numbering: Vol. 10 (26), iss. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-135274
• UDC: 316:616-036.21(520)
• ISSN on article: 2232-5131
• DOI: 10.4312/as.2022.10.1.45-68
• COBISS.SI-ID: 99636739
• Publication date in RUL: 04.03.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Asian studies
• Publisher: Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete, Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete, Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2232-5131
• COBISS.SI-ID: 265206272

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.
• Licensing start date: 19.01.2022

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Japonska družba brez odnosov in prakse pripadanja med pandemijo COVID-19
• Keywords: japonska družba, COVID-19, socialna izolacija, družbena identiteta, prakse pripadanja, muen shakai, družba brez odnosov, sociokulturni dejavniki

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P6-0243
• Name: Azijski jeziki in kulture
• Acronym: P6-0243