ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to analyze the relative importance of economic, cultural, and demographic factors in the household extension patterns in Japan from the perspectives of both child and parent generations. While there may be specific factors particular to Japan in determining family extension, intergenerational household extension is also found in other contemporary societies. Japan clearly remains a society with a strong commitment to intergenerational coresidence. An increasing number of studies analyzes the determinants of intergenerational household extension at both the individual and household levels using multivariate techniques. Japan is a society characterized by a very strong tradition of intergenerational coresidence, typically involving a married, oldest son. However, it has also witnessed rapid industrialization, which in the West has been associated with decreases in household size through the nuclearization of families and increases in living alone among the oldest and youngest adults.
