[ARTICLES] The Debate on Degrowth Society in Japanese Social Science

This paper traces and analyzes the development of degrowth debates within Japanese social sciences from the 1990s to the present, situating them in both global theoretical trends and Japan's distinctive post-bubble socio-economic context. Against a backdrop of prolonged economic stagnation, demographic aging, widening labor insecurity, and deepening ecological crisis, degrowth emerged as an alternative to growth-centered capitalism. The paper argues that the Japanese discourse unfolded in three major phases: an initial introduction of degrowth thought through ecological economics and cultural theory in the mid-1990s; its diffusion into wider public debate during the 2010s, driven by influential intellectuals such as Chizuko Ueno; and finally, the decisive intervention of Kohei Saito in the 2020s, whose eco-Marxist framework recentered the debate around commons-based post-capitalist futures under the notion of “degrowth communism.” Through a systematic review of scholarly and public discussions, the paper identifies three core axes of contention: (1) competing evaluations of capitalism and private property, (2) diverging interpretations of the relationship between economic growth and socio-ecological sustainability, and (3) disagreements over the primary agent of systemic transformation--state, market, or civic commons. While proponents view degrowth as an ethical and institutional reorientation toward sustainability and relational well-being, critics argue that abandoning growth deepens inequality, weakens reproduction of labor and welfare, and romanticizes scarcity. The study concludes that the degrowth controversy in Japan exposes structural limits within contemporary social science, whose conceptual foundations remain deeply rooted in growth-oriented modern society. At the same time, it highlights emerging openings for theoretical renewal grounded in commons, care, and post-growth imaginaries. By mapping the genealogy and fault lines of this debate, the study lays groundwork for rethinking social theory under post-growth conditions and points toward future avenues for research.