ABSTRACT
This chapter presents current discussions on transitions to adulthood in postindustrialised societies. My aim is to provide the global context in which my stories can be understood, and to invite readers to consider some of the questions raised below when reading the following chapters. The chapter argues that industrial societies have experienced diverse patterns in transition to adulthood, at least partly due to the institutional variations (e.g. welfare regime, schooling-employment link) under which transition occurs, but have also shared new trends (e.g. prolonged period of education, casual employment, deferment of marriage). Japanese experience a welfare regime in which families are expected to play a substantial role and where there is a close connection in the education-employment link between individual schools and their network of employers. Both of these features contribute to a context that differs from that of the Anglo-West.
