The Enigma of Japan as a Testing Ground for Cross-Cultural Criminological Studies

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss methods and hypotheses of empirical comparative research on criminal behaviour from the perspective of a Japanese criminologist. Throughout this chapter the terms 'cross-cultural' and 'cross-national' will be used interchangeably. While cultural boundaries are not necessarily the same as national boundaries, units of analysis are more likely to be nations, rather than cultures in their generic sense.