Mutual Help Networks in Japanese Society: An International Comparison of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands Region

Onda compares Japan’s traditional mutual help practices, an integral part of the nation’s societal fabric, with those of other countries across Asia, including Korea, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam, and the Pacific islands region, namely Palau and Pohnpei.

The book advocates for the revitalization of mutual help, which has declined due to modernization, characterized by changes in production and our urban lifestyle. It sheds light on the fading awareness of traditional mutual help practices and encourages the discovery of new connections and bonds in contemporary society. Onda’s comparative approach reveals the characteristics of mutual help networks based on the similarities (universality) with and differences (uniqueness) from Japan’s mutual help practices, which stem from the social structures of individual regions.

A vital resource for scholars in sociology, folklore studies, social welfare, or economics and those interested in human connections, mutual help, and cooperation.

Morio Onda served as a professor at a private university and worked as a part-time lecturer at the University of Tokyo and Keio University in Japan. He is the president of the Society of Economic Sociology (2022-2025). His research focuses on mutual help networks.