The Property Status of “Absentee Landlords” Forests in a Depopulated Area

: A Case Study of Nichinan Town

Abstract

This study aims to understand the effective management of forests by investigating the various types of property that people have in Nichinan town, one of the most depopulated areas in Japan. Specifically, this study focuses on “absentee landlords” who own their property away from their current residence. The descriptive analysis on the relationship between recognition of management of planted forest and other related variables found that the absentee landlords who cannot manage their forests properly also cannot manage paddy fields and houses properly. This case study suggests that to better understand the forest management by the absentee landlords, we should also focus on their other property statuses.