"Pekkanen begins to complement the type of structural analyses favored by political scientists and sociologists with findings on micro-level social relations coming from cultural anthropologists and social psychologists." - W. Lawrence Neuman (University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Social Science Japan Journal) "Pekkanen's work is a must-read for all interested in questions of civil society, democracy, and social capital in Japan. It will also be enlightening for those who are not specialists on Japan but are eager to understand how political opportunity structures and institutions can shape the possibilities open to civil society groups. This is a well-researched and thoughtfully argued study with a wealth of data, historical examples, and comparative analysis." - Journal of Japanese Studies "[Japan's Dual Civil Society is immensely readable and covers much ground. It also alleviates the void that exists in the study of civil associations in Japan. Pekkanen's book is highly recommended to the scholars and students of Japanese studies." - Japanese Studies "The book is a significant contribution to the literature on civil society and productively directs attention to the role of the state." - Pacific Affairs