Structural Changes of Rural Governance in Japan: Structural Changes of Rural Governance in Japan “Rural-Urban Footprints: Implications for Governance”　 CRRF Fall Conference Tweed, Ontario 2004.10.14-16 University of Tsukuba Nobuhiro TSUBOI


Contents: Contents Short history of Japanese rural governance before 1950 Japanese misjudgment before WWII History of municipal amalgamation Players oｆ rural governance (Main story) Rural governance in 1950~2000 Changing situations How to establish　new balance among players?


Definition of terms: Definition of terms Municipality: Local government, excluding prefecture government, here. 3230 municipalities in Japan in 2000. Community: Residents’ organization for livelihood　relationship based on a specific area. About 15-100 communities in a rural municipality. Community was former municipality before Meiji Restoration or municipal amalgamation.


Short history of rural governance before 1950: Short history of rural governance before 1950 Formation of present rural Japan Since 17th century, No battles for 1604~1868 (Disarmed period), Closed door to the foreign countries except Nagasaki, Almost steady economic growth. Feudalism with centralization Communities - local feudal lords – Tokugawa Central Government Autonomy except the foreign and military issues that were strictly controlled.


(Short history of rural governance in Japan): (Short history of rural governance in Japan) Feudalism vs. Centralization Contradictory, but in Japan 273 local feudal land lords in 1868, Synthesized or well balanced for the period of 1604-1868. This contradictory is important issue for better understanding of rural Japan. Steady economic growth with some dynamics. Meiji restoration destroyed the structure under this system.


(Short history of rural governance in Japan before 1950s ): (Short history of rural governance in Japan before 1950s ) Meiji restoration in 1868 Opened door to the foreign countries, Need of centralization for against the foreign pressures, Restructured local feudal lords and communities. Westernization with power was needed. The Central government rushed to centralization, urbanization and industrialization to avoid colonization.


(Short history of rural governance in Japan before 1950s): (Short history of rural governance in Japan before 1950s) Rural communities have sustained. Rural adapted to westernization through local resources development (tea-leaf production and sericulture). Central government didn’t have room to interfere in communities. Rice: key issue of rural Japan Rice was a tight bond of community. Rice cultivation need cooperate works of people until 1960s． Rice self-sufficiency was a national target even until 1970s. Urban had grown with wealth transfer from the rural


(Short history of rural governance in Japan before 1950s) Municipality and community Before and after amalgamationDual community structure we have in rural Japan. Each has own name as Shuraku and Oaza as example.(Shurak: a community, Oaza: multi communities) : (Short history of rural governance in Japan before 1950s) Municipality and community Before and after amalgamation Dual community structure we have in rural Japan. Each has own name as Shuraku and Oaza as example. (Shurak: a community, Oaza: multi communities)


(Short history of rural governance before 1950s)What happened after amalgamation: (Short history of rural governance before 1950s) What happened after amalgamation Community before 1868 Community with large autonomic rights as municipality under the “Feudalism with centralization.” Community after municipal amalgamation Former community (before 1868) and municipality after amalgamation have kept identity as community. And these are called as community within a municipality.


(Short history of rural governance before 1950s)What was rural governance before WWII?: (Short history of rural governance before 1950s) What was rural governance before WWII? Community as a main player Strong identity and role based on economic activities with local resources. Main role of municipality Registration for draft, Tax collection, Education of primary school Little role for people’s welfare and economic development Character of municipality Mayor appointed by Prefecture Governor who appointed by Central Government. Weak affection of central government except amalgamation of municipality and draw of community commons to municipality.


Japanese misjudgment before WWII: Japanese misjudgment before WWII World War II Japan fought against USA and other European countries as one of five industrialized countries in the world in 1940s, and lost it. Japan agriculture-based country by 1940s Japanese modernization since 1950s The lost war wakened Japan, and central government rushed again to really catch up the west. Japan had no room to keep rural as it was before WWII.


Players of rural governancein Japan after 1950s: Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s Citizens Private Enterprises Municipality (=Local government) Communities Intermediary organizations


(Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s)Who are rural citizens?: (Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) Who are rural citizens? Farm population was and is a major. 48% of total population lived in farm households in 1950. Still farm population is a major citizen. Ratio of Farm population in 2000 78.8% in Iitate-mura, Fukushima Pref. 39.4% in Awano-machi, Tochigi Pref. 10.6% in Total Japan including metro areas. Iitate and Awano are NRE sites in Japan.


(Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) Who are enterprise?: (Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) Who are enterprise? Civil engineering and Construction Governments are extremely influential through public works. Many rural people were engaged in these business. Small manufactures They were watching “Keiretsu,” and didn’t care local issues much. Family farms and agri-cooperatives Farming was main economic activity. Farming is loosing its influence. Agri-cooperatives were second biggest business establishment in rural.


(Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) What are local governments?: (Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) What are local governments? Democratization of rural Japan Strengthening organization & function Amalgamation Agency of Central Government cf. Odagiri, T., B. Jean, The Roles of Local Governments for Revitalization of Rural Areas in Japan and Canada, G. Halseth and R. Halseth ed., Building for Success: Exploration of Rural Community and Rural Development, Rural Development Institute, 2004


(Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) (What are local government?): (Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) (What are local government?) Democratization of rural Japan Mayor should be elected by people. Main roles Management election of Mayor, Assembly’s member and others, Collection of local taxes, Economic development, Development and maintenance of local infrastructure, People’s welfare and health, Education of primary and secondary school.


(Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) (What are local governments?): (Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) (What are local governments?) Strengthening organization & function Local government employees per 1000 citizens increased as follows. Iitate: 2.6 in 1950, 33.7 in 2000 Tweed: 2.6 in 1951, 9.1 in 1997 It was about 41.4 employees in Iitate in 2004 April. Because of Expanding roles through civil services, and civil engineering and construction.


(Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) (What are local governments?): (Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) (What are local governments?) The employees increased by more than ten times even under the amalgamation. But, what will happen in future? Amalgamation: For efficiency of local government Number of municipalities 1950: 10,500 municipalities 2000: 3,230 Three types of municipality in Japan; City, Town and Village. Town and village are typical rural, and city includes large rural areas.


(Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) (What are local governments?): (Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) (What are local governments?) Number of towns & villages 1950: 10,246 (Total Muni. Japan 10,500) 97% 2000: 2,558 (T 3,230) 79 Population of towns & villages 1950: 52,749,051 (T. Japan 84,114,574) 62% 2000: 27,060,567 (T. 126,919,288) 21 Population per a town/village 1950: 5,148 2000: 10,579


(Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) (What are local governments?): (Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) (What are local governments?) Agent　of Central Government Strengthening roles through subsidies of the central government for economic development Back-scratching alliance of local and the central government Restructuring of central government Decentralization is forcing local government to restructure.


(Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) What were and are communities?: (Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) What were and are communities? Census Subdivision in Japan is municipality. Community is not Census Subdivision in Japan, and is a basic units of municipality. Municipality consists of 15-100 communities. Community was former municipality before 1868 and/or municipal amalgamation. Community had informal powers until 1970s. (Still it has some powers in rural.) Community had and have common property. (forest, water right, community hall, cemetery) Community & municipality balanced in power until 1950s.


(Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) (What were and are communities?): (Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) (What were and are communities?) Community played important role in rice cultivation until 1960s. Community collected local taxes for municipality, and still collects in some areas. Community has a board with chairman, directors, and own budgets. NRE sites in Japan are Iitate and Awano Iitate and Awano are municipality. 20 communities in Iitate with 7,098 population, 55 communities in Awano with 10,637 population, In Awano, there are 4 multi-community with 8-23 communities, and these multi-communities are former municipality before amalgamation in 1955.


(Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) What are rural intermediary organizations?: (Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) What are rural intermediary organizations? Intermediary organizations Family & kinship groups, Business and culture associations, Commerce of chamber, Community, Voluntary organizations etc. Community is essentially one of intermediary organizations, but more than a intermediary organization as like as other players especially before 1950s. Back-scratching alliance of intermediary organizations and local government Especially business association and voluntary organization.


(Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) (What and who are rural intermediary organizations): (Players of rural governance in Japan after 1950s) (What and who are rural intermediary organizations) High dependency of intermediary organizations on government sectors Organizations except family & kinship groups were established through local government initiative. Even communities were reorganized by the government. Government sectors didn’t have time to wait voluntary actions from citizen and private enterprise sectors.


Rural governance in 1950~2000: Rural governance in 1950~2000 An only influential player was Local government as agent of Central Government Dependency of other players on Local and Central government Rural Japan had no governance!! Since 1950s communities had lost influences, and municipality became an only player in rural Japan. Before lost war, Rural Japan had some governance with balanced structure of community former municipality before amalgamation and municipality that consisted of the 3-25 communities.


(What was rural governance in 1950-2000): (What was rural governance in 1950-2000) Background of the rural characters Japan had to rush to catch up the modern western society within a limited time, especially since 1950s after WWII. Result of “Catching up policy” Japan had rushed to catch up the western countries since Meiji Restoration in 1986. Rural Japan had gradually lost its endogenous development structure since 1868. “Catching up” policy had promoted centralization since 1950s after World War II because of not only central government policy but also people’s wish including rural people to catch up the west.


Changing situations: Changing situations Entering affluent society People’s motivation is changing gradually in transition period from insufficient to affluent society. From more income to quality life!! Even in “poor rural” Restructuring of central government New amalgamation of Municipality in new ways are requested. Change of rural demography


How to establish new balance among players : How to establish new balance among players Main discussion issues in Japan How to establish new balance among rural players, How to establish new endogenous relationship among local assets and rural players, and among rural players, How to establish interdependence among local enterprises. How to restructure rural community? Big discussions about endogenous development, among agri. economists and rural politicians. But is it “endogenous syndrome”?


(How to establish new balance among players): (How to establish new balance among players) How to form new steady relationship between rural and urban The both are in interdependent relationship. Reflections for the last 50 years Rural growth without endogenous development than rural had before!! Entering to affluent rural society. Rural future Japanese have to reconsider the following issues in stead of “Catching up” ◎What’s development? ◎What’s rural life, and What’s urban life? ◎What’s rural-urban relationship?


Slide30: Thanks for participating. Nobuhiro TSUBOI 2004.10.16 Tweed, Ontario