Shinji Miyadai

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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. Even though he was a great fan of Takaaki Yoshimoto, Miyadai was planning to become a scientist as a teenager. Being inspired by Antonio Gramsci, Miyadai entered Tokyo University in 1978 to become a film director. He began to study sociology there, because so many Japanese film directors at that time majored in it. Meeting people who Miyadai found them as great teacher, Wataru Hiromatsu and Naoki Komuro, Miyadai began to study sociology seriously. Noam Chomsky has inspired him, too.

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.