圏の構造調査の英語版調査レポートです。

In the months since the Great East Japan Earthquake, interpersonal relationships, kizuna, altruism and giving encouragement to others have been in the spotlight. When we at Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living (HILL) studied sei-katsu-sha’s associations and relationships, we discovered that new groups and networks that differ from traditional ties of family, network and community are starting to take root. In this year’s Dynamics of Japanese Sei-katsu-sha, a future outlook on emerging lifestyles published by HILL at the beginning of each year, we have dubbed these new purpose-specific, open and fluid groups and networks ken (literally meaning spheres or realms), and named the act of forming these relationships ken-building. We believe that the reorganizing of relationships into self-selected new lifestyle ken that go beyond existing norms will continue. This paper reports on the number of sei-katsu-sha that have ken and how ken differ from traditional associations and relationships.