The Culture of Fatherhood in Japanese Comic Strips: A Historical Analysis

Abstract

Has the culture of fatherhood in Japan changed since the end of the Second World War? If so, how? Relying on a content analysis of 246 Japanese comic strips published on Father’s Day and Mother’s Day between 1950 and 2004, we hypothesize about the effects of economic and other social forces on the culture of fatherhood, and illustrate how cultural shifts can proceed in steps. Our findings suggest that the culture of fatherhood in Japan changed in the 1970s and 1980s, but that it also changed in the 1990s. Whereas the first change pointed to greater acknowledgment of the role of men as fathers, evidenced by the increased attention given to Father’s Day, the second change indicated greater emphasis on a “new”-more involved-image of fathers.