Urbanization of Japan in 1970's

Abstract

After defining the basic concepts of Urbanization and urban way of life, basic social trends in '70 s are analysed in terms of following five statements :
1. Massive rural-urban migration is becoming stabilized : of 48 administrative regions only one, namely Tokyo, is loosing its population.
2. Composition of urban population is becoming mature : sex and age composition is recovering its balance.
3. Urban way of life is approaching to its typical form in metropolitan communities and spreading all over the whole country : formation of “Urbanized Society of Japan”.
4. Expansion of built-up area doubling the total built-up area in thirty years and occurrence of local conflicts in these newly built-up areas.
5. Meanwhile the professional dealing system as the core of urban way of life disclosed its limitations in many ways.
These basic social trends lead social planners, policy makers and opinion leaders of the nation to a common orientation. Increasing importance of government investment in the basic conditions of living, the growing importance of local amenity and local indigenous culture has been widely recognized among them. Many policy schemes launched during '70s and set-up of “Community Building” as a societal goal are the result of this recognition.
Lastly contributions of sociogists both in practical and in theoretical fields are referred to. Among them new developments in the theory of urban way of life and that of community as a societal goal would be of most importance.