Book Announcement: The Politics of Conformity in Japan—A New Scholarly Volume （Routledge, June 2025）
June 09, 2025
This thought-provoking new book offers a powerful re-examination of one of the most influential yet often overlooked forces in Japanese society: dōchō atsuryoku, or conformity pressure. Moving beyond the realm of individual psychology, the author argues that dōchō atsuryoku functions as a central mechanism shaping Japan’s political institutions, legal system, and everyday life.
At the core of this analysis is the concept of seken—the collective social gaze that governs behaviour through unspoken expectations rather than codified laws. From traditional social structures to modern expressions such as kūki wo yomu （”reading the air“）, this work explores how dōchō atsuryoku, or conformity pressure remains deeply embedded in Japan’s cultural fabric, often stepping in where formal leadership or regulation is lacking.
The book draws on both historical and contemporary case studies to illustrate this phenomenon in action: wartime mobilization, post-war economic recovery, the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and public reactions to high-profile cases of sexual violence. These examples vividly demonstrate how social conformity influences not only personal behaviour but also institutional decision-making and national policy.
Building on classic studies like Ruth Benedict’s The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, Nakane Chie’s Japanese Society, and Karel van Wolferen’s The Enigma of Japanese Power, this work presents a new lens through which to understand Japan’s complex social dynamics. It highlights the persistent influence of informal social mechanisms in a nation often described as being ruled less by centralized authority and more by diffuse networks of accountability.
Accessible and analytically rich, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in Japanese people, culture, society, group psychology, or legal and political systems. It moves beyond surface-level observations to ask deeper questions about how society functions—and what invisible forces continue to shape Japan today.
Eurek Alert!：
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1085588
About this book：
https://www.routledge.com/The-Politics-of-Conformity-in-Japan/Nishikawa/p/book/9781032995588
Title: The Politics of Conformity in Japan
Author: Yukiko Nishikawa
The University of Sheffield/Routledge Japanese Studies Series,
Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group 2025.
Pub. Location: London.
Pages: 176
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003605799
eBook: ISBN9781003605799
Keywords:
Japan, dōchō atsuryoku (conformity pressure), kūki (atmosphere or mood), social forces, social influence, social relationships, social psychology, social control, sociology, group dynamics, collectivism, law and society, seken, the COVID-19 pandemic, social pressure, a historic sexual assault scandal, war-time Japan, situational justice, politics, corporate practice, corporate seken, economic success, entertainment industry, media, governance
Profile
NISHIKAWA, Yukiko Ph.D., is a professor at the Graduate School of Global Studies at Doshisha University. She obtained a Ph.D. in the United Kingdom. Her research interests include politics and society in Japan, Japan’s diplomacy, and security and politics in East and Southeast Asia. She has published several books on Japan and Southeast Asia. Her representative publications include the following titles: International Norms and Local Politics in Myanmar (Routledge, 2022); Globalization and Local Conflicts in Africa and Asia (editor: Springer, 2022); Political Sociology of Japanese Pacifism (Routledge, 2018); Human Security in Southeast Asia (Routledge, 2010); Japan’s Changing Role in Humanitarian Crises (Routledge, 2005).
NISHIKAWA Yukiko
Professor, Graduate School of Global Studies
Media contact
Organization for Research Initiatives & Development
Doshisha University
Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0394, JAPAN
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