This book focusses on the significance of culture and development in Germany and Japan from an interdisciplinary perspective. 

Three mutually interdependent parts constitute the structure of the book: 

The first part deals with individual (ontogenetic) development in both the German and the Japanese cultural contexts. The main question is, how the cultural enviroment influences the personal growth and adjustment to the challenges of biological development.  

The second part deals with social and economic change in Germany and Japan. It adresses people’s attitudes and lifestyles, their responsiveness to political programs, their sense of ownership of the drive to preserve a decent future for the next generation, the reactions of national and local leaders to scientific and governance policy advice, and how these are linked to the respective own cultural identities and values in times of global change.  

The third part aims to achieve an integrated view of ontogenetic and culture-genetic development, bridging the gap between individual development on the one hand and cultural tradition and change on the other. It deals with conceptual models of individual and cultural change serving as guidelines for future intercultural understanding and cooperation.