The Japanese words ho shakaigaku literally translate into English as sociology of law. However, few sociologists are members of the sociolegal community in Japan. An overwhelming majority of the members are trained only in the law, although a few have also received formal training in social sciences or are self-taught in social theory or research methods. Ho shakaigaku activities range from advocacy for certain doctrines based on a critical evaluation of social and legal reality to an observational study of police officers, an experimental analysis of people's sense of justice, or the construction of a general theory of the co-evolution of law and society.

Historical Background

Sociolegal scholarship in Japan has a long history, which has been well documented by Akio Morishima and Nobuyoshi Toshitani. The field's ...

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