The Sociology Department is delighted to congratulate Professor Takehiko Kariya, who was recently awarded a Japanese Medal of Honour with Purple Ribbon (紫綬褒章).
The Medal is awarded to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to academic and artistic developments, improvements, and accomplishments.
Professor Kariya joined the University of Oxford in 2008 after a long career at the University of Tokyo. He is the Course Director for the MSc & MPhil in Japanese Studies at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies; and also teaches at the Department of Sociology, in his role as Professor in the Sociology of Japanese Society.
Professor Kariya's research interests include the sociology of education, social stratification and social mobility, social changes of Post-war Japan, and social and educational policies.
He has written many books, and often gives talks and provides comment on issues relating to modern Japanese society and education.