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(★)(For Japanese, the modern history of our country helps provide us with a knowledge of how the present state of affairs of our nation came about, and also of the prospects for our future. One needs to go back to the past in order better to see one´s present and future. And so does a foreigner who is trying to understand Japan. But some outside this country may look us from a special point of view. For instance, for the peoples of those young nations which became independent after World War II, and which may perhaps be found in a certain stage of historical development that roughly corresponds to a similar phase of the historical progress of Japan, it may be of particular interest and use to learn the evolution of events in those stages of Japan´s history.／ Just as most of these nations are agricultural countries, so was Japan when she set out on the road to modernization. She has been a modern, and today more or less industrial, nation for less than 100 years. This means that Japan has grown at a greater tempo than her predecessors in the West, and also that the whole course of her modern national growth, as it came comparatively late in world history, can be traced and grasped with some ease and accuracy. It is expected that our country is of particular interest to those rising nations who are resolved to advance at an equal or even greater tempo than Japan. Thus is the purpose of this book to survey the modern history of the development of Japanese agriculture.／ The writers are currently active in the fields of agricultural economics, administration, and technology. They are thoroughly acquainted with actual conditions in their respective fields and have always tried to give an outlook on the future of Japanese agriculture. With all these experiences they intended in this book to make a retrospect to the past with a view to taking a leaf out of a wise man´s book. Consequently this book may be expected to be useful to officials on the similar standing in foreign countries.／ This book contains thirty chapters, divided into three parts. The first deals with the economic aspects of agriculture, the second with the legal and the third with the technological. The development of agriculture in modern Japan is traced in Part I in five phases, each chapter covering one phase. This part is designed to serve as an introduction. In Parts II and III, each chapter deals with a particular subject or problem in the modern history of Japanese agriculture, so that each reader can select those chapters of particular interest to him.／ When agriculture in modern Japan is observed from these three points of view --economic, legal and technological-- three pivotal factors in its evolution are apparent : the land tenure system, small-scale farming, and paddy-field rice culture. These three factors exist separately but are also mutually dependent, and together characterize the structure of agriculture in Japan. Outstanding among these is the land tenure system.／ Private landownership came into being in its nascent form around the middle of the Tokugawa Era, but became firmly established only after the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The dominance of large landowners was established toward the end of the Meiji Era, went through periods of wavering and decline, and was finally abolished after World War II. However, it persists even today on forest land as a latent force hampering the development of agriculture.／ Small-scale farming was one of the fundamental characteristics of Japanese agriculture during the feudal Tokugawa Era, continued through the Meiji Restoration and the Land Reform following the end of World War II, and today remains basically unchanged. It is noteworthy that there was an attempt by the government in the early Meiji years to put large-scale farming into practice. Even today, overcoming small-scale farming remains a most important task of the agricultural policy makers of Japan.／ Paddy-field rice culture was the mainstay of Japanese agriculture before the feudal ages, and has remained so ever since. If the economy of a feudal society depended on agriculture, it did on paddy-field rice culture in Japan. Even after the Meiji Restoration when Japan emerged as a modern state, her economy grew on the basis of agriculture, especially paddy-field rice cultivation. Even today, with Japan´s industrial structure having changed phenomenally, about a half of her agricultural production is still accounted for by paddy-field rice farming. Although the composition of farm products is expected to change greatly in the future, an important task for the present as well as for the future is to find ways to shift the weight of production from paddy-field on very small plots of land to fruits, vegetables and livestock products.／ In the early part of the Meiji Era, farm products including rice, silk, tea, etc. were important items of export. However, rice ceased to be an export item after the Sino-Japanese War, and raw silk lost its importance as an export commodity before the Second World War. Thus the role of agriculture in Japan became, almost exclusively, that of supplier of domestically consumed farm products, especially food grains, of which rice is the most important. Hence, despite the development of gardening and animal husbandry, paddy-field rice culture still persists as the mainstay of Japanese agriculture.／ At the same time, however, it should be noted that the rice-centered agriculture has contributed a great deal toward the rehabilitation of the postwar Japanese economy --an increased production was made possible by the Land Reform, by the organization of agricultural cooperatives, the improvement of farming techniques, and so on.／ Paddy-field rice cultivation developed on the basis of small-scale farming. Increased rice yields per unit area of land were brought about by land improvement, better seed, and a very intensive use of fertilizer and labor. This in turn has served to keep small scale farming in existence to the present time. Although it must be grasped in the whole context of the economy of Japan, the fact should be pointed out that the paddy-field rice culture based on small-scale farming helped continue the land tenure system which remained in existence until after World War II. And because of the land tenure system, landlords tended to turn away from engaging in farm Management themselves, but rather let their tenant farmers maintain rice cultivation on paddy fields on very small farms.／ The domination by large landlords has been done away with. Further, the changing structure of Japan´s economy now calls for a greater flow of labor from the agricultural sector, a change in the composition of agricultural production, and more equitable incomes for farmers. Consequently Japan´s agriculture characterized by paddy-field cultivation and small-scale farming is now compelled to change. In order to effect such changes, new measures related to legislation and technology need to be taken to help improve land-holding including forestland, to improve land utilization as a basis of agricultural production (especially of animal husbandry), to establish mechanized agriculture, and to enlarge the scale of farm operating units. The fulfilment of these tasks may of course encounter great obstacles of a political, social, economic and technical nature, but these need to be overcome in the course of implementation of agricultural policy in this country.／[from ´PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL´, Takekazu Ogura, March 31, 1962] ▼CONTENTS／ ●PART I : AGRICULTURE AND ECONOMY／ Chapter 1.The Meiji Restoration and Agriculture (1868-1912)／Chapter 2.Japanese Agriculture from the Pre-World War I Period to the Post-Depression Period of the Showa Era (1913-40)／Chapter 3.Wartime Japanese Agriculture (1941-45)／Chapter 4.Economic Rehabilitation and Agriculture after the War (1946-54)／Chapter 5.Agricultural Problems in a Rapidly Growing Economy (1955-62)／ ●PART II : AGRICULTURE AND LEGISLATION／ Chapter 6.Introduction and Summary Review of Agricultural Policies in Japan／Chapter 7.Modernization of the Land Tenure System／Chapter 8.Measures for the Encouragement, Control, and Protection of Agriculture／Chapter 9.Food Problem and Rice Policies／Chapter 10.The Policy for Marketing and Pricing of Silk／Chapter 11.The Policy for Marketing and Pricing of Fertilizer／Chapter 12.Local Government and Systems of Water Utilization and Land Improvement／Chapter 13.The System of Finance and Insurance and Agricultural Organization／Chapter 14.The Enactment of the Agricultural Basic Law／ ●PART III : AGRICULTURE AND TECHNIQUE／ Chapter 15.Instruction and Encouragement in Agriculture／Chapter 16.The Development of Research Institutions／Chapter 17.The Establishment and Development of Agricultural Education／Chapter 18.Improvement of Rice Cultural Techniques／Chapter 19.Development of a Fertilizer-Consuming Rice Culture／Chapter 20.Land Improvement Projects／Chapter 21.Improvement in Farm Machinery and Farm Implements and Their Popularization／Chapter 22.Disease and Insect Pest Control／Chapter 23.The Northward Expansion of Rice Cultivation --Development of Rice Growing in Hokkaido／Chapter 24.Development of Paddy Rice Productivity／Chapter 25.Changes in Upland Crop Growing／Chapter 26.Progress of Fruit Farming Techniques／Chapter 27.The Development of Tea Industry／Chapter 28.The Technical Developments in the Raw Silk Industry／Chapter 29.The Development of the Livestock Industry and its Bottlenecks／Appendix.Some Comparisons of Rice Cultivation in Japan and Southeast Asia／ ●PART IV : THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE JAPANESE EXPERIENCE／ Literature Cited／Chronological Tables, 1859-1962／) |
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