Osawa Masachi is a Japanese scholar in the field of sociology who extensively works with a concept that applies ideas of likeness and similarity in electronic media in Japanese society and culture. He is commonly studied in conjunction with Japanese anime "Ghost in the Shell," specifically in conjunction with the Stand Alone Concept. "Ghost in the Shell" is a cyber punk anime that deals with themes of the digital imitation and likeness and Osawa Masachi's work regarding digital imitations in social Japan are often studied alongside studies of the Philosophy of "Ghost in the Shell."