Volume 30 of Sociology of Crime, Law and Deviance brings together scholars from various disciplinary backgrounds to discuss a variety of aspects and developments related to law and culture in contemporary Japan. Some scholars have law as their primary field of study and from that viewpoint focus on connections with culture, while others are first and foremost scholars of culture who link their research themes to norms and regulations.

The interconnection between law and culture in Japanese society is the central substantive focus of the book. Thematically linked, the chapters are diverse in terms of theory, methodology, and (multi-)disciplinary perspective, discussing institutions of law, crime and justice, and various media.

Written by expert scholars who work in Japan, Law and Culture in Japan communicates research on law and culture in Japanese society to a broad audience. This edited volume is essentially oriented at scholars and students who are located outside of Japan, yet who share similar scholarly interests in law, culture, and the interconnections between them.

Mathieu Deflem is Professor of Sociology at the University of South Carolina, USA. His research and teaching interests include law, social control, popular culture, and sociological theory, areas in which he has published widely.

Hiroshi Takahashi is Professor in the Graduate School of Law at Kobe University, Japan. His specialties include socio-legal studies, alternative dispute resolution, the legal profession, and the history of judicial statistics.

Dimitri Vanoverbeke is Professor in the Graduate Schools for Law and Politics at The University of Tokyo, Japan. He specializes in the sociology of law and the participation of lay citizens in the criminal procedure in modern and contemporary Japan.

Jason G. Karlin is Professor in Interdisciplinary Information Studies at The University of Tokyo, Japan. He specializes in media and cultural studies and has published extensively on celebrity culture in Japan.