Life Improvement Movement and Community Organization In Postwar Rural Japan

Abstract

In postwar rural Japan a community organization played an important role for promotion of the ’Life Improvement Movement’ that was regarded as rural development. The community organization synthetically organized a recipient organization and executing organizations in a rural community. This paper analyzes the role of community organization in the movement.

Two characteristics of the movement are pointed out from the viewpoint of functions of the community organization. First, the recipient organization and executing organizations were mutually connected to implement integrated and sector-wide rural development in a rural community. Second, the community organization promoted the improvement of living condition as well as agricultural production synthetically using functions of the recipient organization and executing organizations.

Experiences and lessons of the ’Life Improvement Movement’ in postwar rural Japan are possible to apply to rural development in the developing countries. Implications for rural development in the developing countries are pointed out to prepare a recipient organization, to prepare executing organizations and to consider development process based on this paper.