ABSTRACT
The old middle class has dissolved, and been replaced by the new, white-collar middle class. This is a commonly accepted truism about the social structure of Japan. But in fact, that ‘new’ middle class has begun to dissolve once again. Two complementary trends have become clear in the white-collar world since the 1960s: at one end, a relatively small number are precipitating into a new elite, and on the other, the bulk of those who wear white collars can no longer be clearly pegged above or below blue-collar workers, in terms either of income or prestige.
