Men, Care and Well-being in Super-aged Japan offers an innovative perspective on men’s well-being through their involvement in caring for older family members. Focusing on super-aged Japanese society, the book provides a valuable way to understand key social challenges relevant to countries on the cusp of ageing society. In contrast to the predominant focus on men in the workplace, this study shifts attention to men in the family – such as men as sons, sons-in-law, husbands and grandsons – whose roles in care remain understudied.

The first section explores men’s care relations in the context of their extended family relations, including the emergence of sons-in-law in care, part of the broader shift away from the historical family system. The second section widens perspective to include the domain of work and related policies to understand how men reconcile care and work. The third section situates men’s caregiving in the broader societal context, including attention to the novel notion of ‘care literacy’. Each section is designed to enable specialists across relevant fields – such as well-being, masculinity, gender relations and care systems – with greater flexibility in accessing relevant parts. The structure also supports use as teaching material in undergraduate and graduate courses.