In Japan, almost 80% of university students attend private institutions, up to 40% of which are family businesses. This book offers a detailed historical, sociological, and ethnographic analysis of this important category of private university, and examines how institutions have negotiated a period of major demographic decline since the 1990s. It offers a wealth of data, insights, and micro-level theorizations that will provide numerous jumping off points for further study in a range of different fields.