Social Mobility in Contemporary Japan

`This book is absolutely must reading for anyone interested in social stratification or inequality in Japan. I would also highly recommend this book to persons who do not specialize in Japanese studies but who have a general interest in social stratification.' - Arthur Sakamoto, Contemporary Sociology `Hiroshi Ishida's meticulously researched and documented comparative study of mobility in Japan, the United States, and Britain is a major contribution to the literature on the relationship between education and opportunity.' - Mary White, Journal of Japanese Studies `This fine, academic study about social mobility and education in comparative perspective (Japan, the US and the UK) levels many of the prevailing, treasured myths about Japanese distinctiveness.' - Jeff Kingston, Japan Times `Readers will find Ishida's contribution to the debate both meticulously researched and provocative...should be of considerable interest to a wide readership.' - M.A. Weiner, Asian Affairs. The book is a study of intergenerational class mobility and the process of socioeconomic status attainment in contemporary Japan.The idea of 'Japan as an educational credential society' has been debated for a long time in Japan. The book empirically evaluates this idea within the framework of a cross-national comparison with the United States and Britain. The author also examines the patterns of class mobility in Japan within a cross-national perspective and reports similarities and differences in the mobility patterns among the three societies.