"This is an ambitious work, well-written with a persuasive argument. It makes an important contribution to modern Japanese social and cultural history."--Andrew Gordon, author of "The Modern History of Japan"This is a fascinating social and cultural history of "delinquent youth" in modern Japan. Focusing on such social types as ruffians, gangsters, "modern girls and boys," and degenerate students, Ambaras convincingly demonstrates that efforts to police, protect and rehabilitate them were integral to the formation of Japan's capitalist modernity. Readers will be rewarded with the author's many insights and comparative observations."--Takashi Fujitani, author of "Splendid Monarchy: Power and Pageantry in Modern Japan