The intimate risk as challenge to welfare state – precarious family and human relationships in Japanese risk society

Abstract

This paper aims to study the new social risks in the light of the sustainability of family life in contemporary Japan. The discussion begins with a brief description of the controversies over the balance between work and family life, which is one of the major ‘new social risks’ in most of the industrialized societies. It is attempted to identify how different social attributes of individuals are linked to social injustice and vulnerability. The different capacities of individuals' response to risks tend to be influenced by one's commitment to risks in intimate human relationships. This point will be clarified through the analysis on problems of domestic violence in private sphere and on current policy responses. Such violence itself is the intimate risk that is not made explicit in the debate of new social risks. This paper attempts to add the perspective on intimate risks to the risk society discourse.

Keywords:

• risk
• intimacy
• Japan

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