Abstract
Since the end of World War II, Japan has successfully implemented of a number of community participatory programs. A program of particular note was the community-based vector and nuisance control program, named “Better life without mosquitoes and flies”. This program was promoted by community organizations based on the concept of vector control being carried out by people within their own communities. Entomology consultants also played an important role, through monitoring and evaluation of the program. Local, middle and central government health authorities supported the activities and connected the each actor tightly.
The key factors that contributed to the program's success were clear role-sharing and the setting of common goals by community organizations, academic groups and government authorities. It is also worth noting that, in the immediate post-war period, Japan already possessed the core capacity required for the implementation of community-based sanitation programs introduced by General Headquarter.
Due to cultural and environmental differences, the program described may not be directly applicable to the ongoing challenges of vector control faced by developing countries today. However, there are still some useful lessons to be learned from the experiences in Japan.
