THE CHANGE IN THE SUPPLY AND DEMAND OF SEASONAL LABOR MIGRANTS IN SAKE-BREWING INDUSTRY

Abstract

It has often been said that during the period of rapid economic growth of Japan there is a noticeable shortage of toji, who are the leaders of dekasegi-sha (seasonal labor migrants), in sake-brewing industry. Dekasegi-sha in the sake brewing industry, led by toji, go to sake-brewing regions from rural areas.
There are few studies on the recent changes in the patterns of dekasegi-sha in the sake-brewing industry, and on the relationship between the social conditions in the rural areas from which dekasegi-sha come and the recent trends in the sake-brewing industry.
The purposes of this paper are to discuss the patterns of dekasegi-sha in the sake-brewing industry, to find important factors of the changes in the patterns, and to find the structure of supply and demand of dekasegi-sha in the sake-brewing industry.
The findings are as follows:
1. The main streams of dekasegi-sha in the sake-brewing industry were from rural areas in the Setouchi and Hokuriku regions to the sake brewing districts in the Kinki, Chugoku, and Kanto regions. From 1927 to 1973, the number of dekasegi-sha in the sake-brewing industry from Okayama, Yamaguchi, Hyogo, Aichi, Ishikawa, and Fukui prefectures decreased. During the same period, the prefectures that increased the number of dekasegi-sha in the sake-brewing industry were Iwate, Akita, Nagano, Yamagata, Fukushima, and Saga prefectures (Fig. 1). The change in the distribution of toji revealed three types: (1) increasing type (Iwate and Akita prefectures), (2) decreasing type (Niigata, Hyogo, and Ishikawa prefectures), and (3) near-extinguished type (Kyoto and Shizuoka prefectures) (Fig. 2).
2. The recent reorganization in the sake-brewing industry reduced the need of dekasegi-sha. The increasing employment opportunities for farmers who seek part-time jobs reduced the number of dekasegi-sha in the sake-brewing industry. The toji groups from Iwate prefecture are moving into the Kanto and Chubu regions, and the toji groups from Niigata prefecture are moving into the Chubu regions.