The Formation Process of the Contents of the "Radio no Tsudoi" at Matsuyama Central Broadcasting Station during the Occupation Period: Focusing on “Political Education” and Fostering “Thinking Farmers”

Abstract

 This study explores the formation process of the contents of the "Radio no Tsudoi" at Matsuyama Central Broadcasting Station, a substation of the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (Nippon Hoso Kyokai or NHK), during the Occupation period, focusing on "political education" and the cultivation of "thinking farmers."

 The paper consists of the following sections:

 1. The range of “civic education” of the early "Radio no tsudoi" at Matsuyama Central Broadcasting Station

 2. The formation of a system to foster “thinking farmers”

 3. The coexistence of “political education” and fostering “thinking farmers.”

 The above examination finds that the "Radio no Tsudoi" at Matsuyama Central Broadcasting Station was not only initiated with the central government's concern of "political education" as its "civic education" target, but also included the fostering of "thinking farmers" through cooperation with the Social Education and Agricultural Improvement Divisions of Ehime Prefecture. In other words, the contents of Matsuyama's "Radio no Tsudoi" were formed by incorporating the interests of both the central and local governments under "civic education." As a result, participants were expected to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to become members of a democratic nation and to discuss rural life and rural technology. In the region, the intermingling and coexistence of these two purposes in the promotion of "Radio no Tsudoi" led to the formation of the federation(Radio no Tsudoi Rengokai) as a comprehensive organization.

 Finally, the following points have become clear through this examination. The "Radio no Tsudoi" at Matsuyama Central Broadcasting Station was, on the one hand, a continuation of the prewar government-led popular indoctrination. On the other hand, while it may not have been in response to popular demand, it was formed to some extent through the guidance of the Social Education Section and Agricultural Improvement Division, addressing the educational demands that were emerging in the local communities.