The objective of this paper are to describe the overlooked regional variation of the Japanese family structure, and to identify the factors which facilitate the prevalence of the contemporary Japanese extended family. The data used here are based on the national census. The paper first reviews changes during half a century of national and prefectural average household size and structure, with comparisons to other demographic variables. Descriptive analyses of the regional differences indicate clear variations among prefectural averages, concurring with a long-standing observation by Japanese family sociologists and anthropologists: specifically, that regional variation between the Northeast and Southwest exists in family patterns. Rather than dichotomizing the regions, I use 47 prefectures as units of analysis, and statistically test three determinants--demographic, economic, and cultural--on the frequency of to extended family. It is found that normative climate with stronger ie consciousness and more available space increase, while the availability of alternative family care reduces, the prevalence of the extended family in the area. Overall, the model presented in this paper accounts for 85% (R2) of variance in the percentage of the extended family. The paper concludes that the process of family transformation and the current family structure are quite different depending on the region, due to old family systems/customs and to the aftermath of drastic economic and population relocations.
Satomi Kurosu (Wed,) studied this question.