ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents a general overview of current population trends in Japan based on demographic and historical knowledge, in order to highlight the prevalent symbolism attached to reproduction and intimacy, in line with present-day fertility rates unlikely to promote population replacement. It defines symbolic interactionism and proceeds to explain why it is relevant to explore intimacy and reproduction in current Japanese society. The book revolves around the lives of the participants in the study who grappled with unintended pregnancies. Allegedly counter to the mandate of their DNA, Japanese women are in large numbers unwilling to become mothers, because they are unable to combine full-time employment with homemaking. Japanese labour policies that tend to push women outside the job market and constrain their role within the borderlines of the home are conspicuous.
