Salaryman Masculinity

Abstract

Why on earth are you interested in ‘masculinity?’ This view, whether expressed or implied, represents the most typical response to my research interest in men and masculinities from my friends, acquain-tances and people I have encountered during my research. In retro-spect, I realise that my personal interest in Japanese corporate men and their masculinity has its origins in my work experience in a rela-tively large trading company in Japan. My work experience dates back more than a decade when Japanese people firmly believed that Japan’s stable economy would last and had not the slightest suspicion that the bubble economy would burst. The section to which I was assigned was engaged in Official Development Assistance (ODA).