Abstract
The social structure of villages has long been seen as an undesirable feature of Japanese society. For centuries, it provided a mechanism through which landlords could control farmers. Before postwar land reform, it served as the basis of pre-modern feudal relations. Today, it is thought to be an obstacle to economic competition in an increasingly globalized world economy.
Yet the organization and function of rural communities is not exclusively negative; it also has desirable qualities. It has enabled small farmers to better manage their land, and facilitated coordination between individual farmers. More generally, it has provided a structure of governance in farming communities.
As demands for the opening of the Japanese agricultural market escalate, the structure and function of rural communities demands reexamination. This article analyzes the past and present characteristics of rural communities; how they manage, coordinate, and utilize land; enable the survival of farmers in small villages; and promote the development of sustainable agriculture. In doing so, it takes rural communities seriously by placing them in a richer and more complex context than many previous writings.
