ABSTRACT
The work/care regime in Japan has gone through multiple transformations, the result of shaping and reshaping by structural change in the political economy and state policies affecting the gender order. When the modernisation of Japan began in the late nineteenth century, the process of creating a modern family was implemented in line with the creation of the modern nation state. Rapid economic development between 1955-mid-1970s brought a degree of affluence to Japanese families, but it also entrenched the male breadwinner employment system based on lifelong employment and seniority-based salary scales. While long life expectancy reflects great achievements in terms of nutrition, sanitation and medical care, when combined with a low total fertility rate and almost negligible immigration flows, it has created a huge imbalance in Japan's demographic structure. The ageing of Japan's population has serious implications for the capacity of its productive workforce to sustain the nation. The chapter discusses two main discourses: gender equality and work–life balance.
