Interdependent family: Ogawa Yoko's response to family disaster in Japan

Japanese Department, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Andalas, 25163 Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: rimadevi@hum.unand.ac.id

Abstract

Novelist Ogawa Yoko sharply highlights the phenomenon of family disaster plaguing contemporary Japanese society. This crisis is characterized by drastic changes in family structure, individual alienation, and social problems that have led to a demographic crisis. However, Ogawa does not stop at criticism; her works offer innovative solutions. This study employs a sociological approach to literature, utilizing qualitative methods to analyse how Yoko responds to this problem. According to Devi, Ogawa Yoko constructs an alternative family model called the interdependent family. This form of family transcends traditional blood ties. Instead, it is built based on choice, shared needs, and deep emotional and psychological support between individuals who are not biologically or kinship-related. The interdependent family exists as a social unit capable of filling the void and fragility of the conventional family institution. This study concludes that the concept of the interdependent family in Ogawa Yoko's works is not merely a literary imagination but an intellectual response that offers a relevant framework for rethinking and addressing the crisis of social ties in modern Japanese society.