Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a review of the literature published by the
members of the Japan Welfare Sociology Association. The articles that appeared in the Journal of
Welfare Sociology during the last decade were reviewed, focusing on the research methods and themes.
The review revealed that most of the articles were about empirical research based on qualitative
methods, and the number of popular research themes (such as care) was limited. This is characteristic
of research trends in the field of welfare sociology, in contrast to that of family sociology, in Japan. A
brief discussion regarding the possibility of using academic practices that might increase the diversity of
research methods and themes concludes this paper.
