Ein Interview: Japan nach dem 11.3. (2011). Asahi Shinbun

From a "Dysfunctional Japanese-Style Industrialized Society" to an "Ordinary Nation"?

Oguma Eiji with an introduction by David H. Slater

Oguma Eiji, a sociologist from Keio University, has emerged as one of the most astute commentators on the shifts that have occurred since the 3.11 crises. As an engaged intellectual with a respected history of solid scholarship, he has repeatedly done two things few others have: link the events since 3.11 to larger patterns of political and economic transformation in post-war Japan, and situate this moment in Japan in relation to similar moments of political crisis beyond Japan.

Perhaps best known to English-speaking audiences is his volume on A Genealogy of Japanese Self-Images(Trans-Pacific Press)
Relevant here is also his two volume study of youth revolt. 1968.
Both of these works provide useful background to the events since 3.11, but especially to the broad shifts that led up to this moment.