ABSTRACT
In order to show how the various facets of globalization are changing the position of working women in Japan, it is first necessary to understand what role women have played in the Japanese model of capitalism. This chapter therefore discusses the position of women in the Japanese labour force from the end of the Second World War, showing the patterns of continuity and change. This provides vital background for examining the impact of restructuring upon women’s work in Japan. As Chapter 4 has demonstrated, many of the distinctive aspects of the Japanese national model of employment arose in the unique circumstances prevailing in the immediate post-war period. It was the specific context of the Cold War, the changes made to Japanese institutions by the Occupation forces, the development priorities of the Japanese state and the actions of the Japanese trade union movement that led to the emergence of the distinctive Japanese model of capitalism.
