This podcast explores the construction and subsequent unraveling of the “general middle-class society” myth in postwar Japan. It begins by questioning the analytic meaning of “middle class”when over ninety percent of the population self-identifies as such, tracing how this narrative of class homogeneity was established through surveys, media, and government policy, often intertwined with the discourse of Japanese uniqueness (Nihonjinron). Significant focus is placed on the gendered architecture of this model, centered on the male salaryman and the full-time housewife, whose corporate standing granted access to “welfare corporatism” and social citizenship.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit japanesemodernity.substack.com