THE FOUNDATION AND ITS BACKGROUND OF WEAVING INDUSTRY IN OKU-NOTO, ISHIKAWA ISHIKAWA PREFECTURE, DURING THE 1960'S (1)

Abstract

During the 1960's the production of weaving industry in Japan has been shifted to Hokup riku district, especially to its northern part.
The weaving industry, which forms a highly-processed part of the textile industry and is one of the advanced modern industries, has been built up in Oku-Noto with the newest equipments, consisting mostly of eight power looms, under the direction of commercial firms. They intend to get an advantage of the keen competition in the domestic production and in the overseas consumption markets of textiles.
The farm economy in Oku-Noto faces the serious crisis of collapse, losing its major sidejobs, such as charcoal industry and coastal fishery. Besides, a rise in general prices and a relative fall in rice price forced many farmers to work away from home, to quit their cultivation and to change their arable land-use pattern. Furthermore, the land price and the rent tend to decline.
In order to overcome this difficult situation, the local governments have tried to introduce new industries and to gain population in Oku-Noto. Above all, the weaving industry, one of new industries in this district, has been expected to support the farm economy, taking the place of forestry or fishery.
If the farmers had disposed on a large scale of their lands for raising initial funds of weaving, the agricultural cooperatives and the other financial institutions would have encountered with a land crisis owing to the sharp decline in land price.
In these circumstances, the Ishikawa local government formulated and carried out the policy of paying a fixed rate of interest to the weaving industry in Oku-Noto. This policy, however, brings about a reduction of cultivation and a concentration of land. Therefore, it is not at variance with the agricultural policy of the Central Government.
The foundation of weaving industry has made a considerable impact on the local politics and economy of Oku-Noto in terms of their reorganization.