Incorporating Japanese language materials and field-based research, this compelling collection of essays takes a comparative look at the changing notions of gender and sexual diversity in Japan, considering both heterosexual and non-heterosexual histories, lifestyles and identities.

Written by key Japanese authors and Western scholars the volume examines how non-conformist individuals have questioned received notions and challenged social norms relating to sex and gender. The chapters depict the plurality of gender positions; from housewives opposed to gender roles within marriage to heterosexual men wishing to be more involved in family life. Including material not previously published in English, this volume gives an overview of the important changes taking place in gender and sexuality studies within Japanese scholarship.

Mark McLelland is a research fellow in the Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies at the University of Queensland. He is the author of Male Homosexuality in Modern Japan (RoutledgeCurzon) and co-editor of Japanese Cybercultures (Routledge).

Romit Dasgupta lectures in Japanese language, Japanese Studies, and Asian Studies in the School of Social and Cultural Studies at the University of Western Australia. He has published widely on the topic of Japanese masculinity in edited collections and academic journals.