"What shapes the decisions of employees to work in Japan? The authors of this survey of the relationship between work and society in Japan argue that individual decisions about work can only be understood through the broader social context. Many factors combine to affect such choices, including the structuring of labor markets, social policy, and, of course, global influences which have come increasingly to impinge on the organization of work and life generally. By considering labor markets, social policy, and relationships between labour and management, the book offers penetrating insights into contemporary Japanese society and glimpses of what might come in the future. Underlying the discussion is a challenge to the celebration of Japanese management practices which has dominated the literature for the last three decades."--BOOK JACKET.