Abstract
1. Preface Rural Land Reform was one of the big reform in Post-War Japan. That was planed and carried out in the abnormal state (occupation by the GHQ), therefore, in the planning, there were many hard negotiations between Japanese Government and GHQ. 2. Principal Problems (1) Limit of tenant-cultivated land which a landlord may retain. Japanese Government considered 3-5 cho in the first Land Reform Law (1945) and GHQ-NRS thinked, perhaps, 3 cho befora the Allied Council for Japan proposed 1 cho plan. After this proposal of Council, GHQ/SCAP made a sudden change and adopted 1 cho plan which offered by British Commonweath in this Council. Japanwer Government accepted this plan as defact directive of GHQ. (2) Purchase Price of Tenant Land. It was necessary for Japanese Government to hold down the Purchase Price, in order ot aid the tenant farmers. Then, Government fixed the Price, as paddy land is 40 times rental valus (in 1940), upland field 48 times. This price was fixed from the first Land Reform Law (1940) to the second Land Reform Law. Then tenant farmers could purchase for cheap price. (3) Limit of farmland which a farmer may own. The size of the total amount of farmland which an individual land owner mey own were limited to 3 cho (Hokkaido 12 cho) of cultivated land. This plan was offered by Britixh Commonwealth and adopted by GHQ. Japanese Government opposed this limitation because this shall be the barrier to future progress in agriculture of Japan. Finally, this Problems leaved to administrative organ's discretion. 3. The causes of success in short period (Japanese Government side) (1) The protective policy of tenant farmers from pre-War times. (2) Many excellent Government officials existed. They faced this hard problem with eagerness. (3) The established administrative organization and tidy agricultural public books. 4. The causes - Japan could keep the excellent results of Land Reform (1) The establishment of Agricultural Land Law. (2) The backing of pubic opinion. (3) The high degree growth of Japanese economy and revolutional change of industrial structure. As the result, large number of farming population transfered from farmarea to cities (commerce and industry). I think, this third point was most effective.
