Shinji Miyadai

Shinji Miyadai ([宮台 真司], Miyadai Shinji, born 3 March 1959 in Sendai, Japan) is a Japanese sociologist and is a professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University.

He has a Ph.D from Tokyo University for his research on Mathematical sociology. Using the method of game theory, he analyzed how the power of the state works in society. He is one of the most outspoken sociologists in Japan, and is currently working on the strategy the Japanese government should adopt for the 21st century.

He has been a constant presence in the world of Japanese letters since the publication of his PhD dissertation in 1989. His controversial work on compensated dating in Japan was the subject of endless discussion after its publication in 2000.

Even though he was a great fan of Takaaki Yoshimoto, Miyadai was planning to become a natural scientist as a teenager. Students in Japan make decisions whether they are majoring natural sciences or social sciences in university at high school ages. Miyadai looks back that reading Abe Kobo made his interest move toward social issues. Miyadai entered Tokyo University in 1978 to become a film director. He majored in sociology where he thought might be useful. Meeting Wataru Hiromatsu and Naoki Komuro made Miyadai study seriously. Reading Noam Chomsky also inspired him.

However, Akira Asada pointed out Miyadai made grammatical mistake in the title of his best known book,Owarinaki-nichijo-wo-ikiro. It should be stated either Owaranai-nichijo-wo-ikiro or Owarinaki-nichijo-wo-ikiyo. He likes using old Japanese but often use them incorrectly.