Rural areas are rich in natural resources. By utilizing these local resources as renewable energy, it is expected to improve agricultural management, return profits to the community, and revitalize rural areas. For rural areas to benefit from renewable energy projects, it is vital that local farmers become the bearers of the renewable energy projects. It is important to clarify the attitudes and perceptions of farmers on these issues in order to expand the cases of farmers. Using survey data in 2017, this study analyzed the characteristics of conventional PV power generation, which is carried out on idle land and the roofs of agricultural facilities. As a result of the analysis, it was found that farmers with high expectations of “income from electricity sales” and “high sales” were more likely to have a solar power generation business, and those with high awareness of the challenges of “know-how” or “financing” were less likely to have that business. However, the results of the analysis in this paper may have been influenced by the presence of unobserved confounding factors ; for example, farmersʼ willingness to improve their management. In order to further analyze the implementation of solar power generation projects by farmers, it is important to conduct case studies of actual efforts based on the results of this analysis.

Local traditional industries in rural areas, which are based on tacit knowledge, have suffered from human resource shortage and fewer successors. Advanced traditional skills have been succeeded and developed through numerous trials and errors among the so-called “artisans”. However, the outflow and the aging of the rural population for years and decades has made it difficult to conserve traditional skills. This study focused on tacit knowledge and skill of traditional coal making in Minabe-Cho, Wakayama Prefecture, where the popular Kishu-binchotan has been produced for a long time. This study examined the usefulness of VR (Virtual Reality) technology in the skill transfer process of coal making through a comparative experiment of three skills transfer means : VR video, 2D video, and text material. Mr. H., one of a few coal makers who has inherited a traditional skill called hanegi. We videocaptured his henegi skills and made learning materials in the aforementioned three formats and conducted questionnaire surveys before and after the respondentsʼ actual performing of hanegi. The experiment results showed that VR videos were effective in promoting understanding of the points of the skills compared to others. Besides, the actual physical movements can also be learned comprehensively compared to other contents. However, some physical skill points were not able to be mastered even in VR.

Managing irrigation ponds need human resources equipped with the right resource management skills. However, with a continuous decline in the number of farmers, it is becoming difficult to ensure such human resources are in place to efficiently manage ponds. The purpose of this paper is to describe the policy to secure human resources in managing ponds properly. We clarify the issue by interviewing the members of a pond management organization. Narui, Kakogawa-city of the Hyogo prefecture in Japan, was selected as a study area to perform actions and initiatives in generating change. The results of the survey indicated the following : first, out of the wide range of operations, it was found that the most crucial challenge is to ensure human resources to distribute water to the respective rice fields. Second, to encourage people to work in water distribution, human resource allocation should be properly designed. This involved expanding the recruitment target, configuring a well-balanced workforce with various skills and attributes, and reorganizing the positions and roles. Third, an induction program for new recruits were designed. The program included creating opportunities for them to work together with veterans, and equipping them with literature that summarized the necessary information and knowledge. In addition, prompt coordination was conducted when stakeholders made complaints or requests. Based on these results, we pointed out the policy for designing human resource distribution.

This study aimed to determine the effect of revitalization business strategies on the historical environment of their traditional villages, focusing on Daksil Village in Bonghwa-gun（Bonghwa County）, South Korea. The study also examined the realities of community involvement in each business strategy and its role in the preservation of the villageʼs historical environment. Based on the results of the study, an advisable method of community involvement is proposed so that the revitalization and preservation of the historical environment of the traditional villages can coexist. In Daksil Village, the construction of tourist amenities and the renovation of the landscape, infrastructure, and public facilities affected the villageʼs historical environment. The villageʼs community organization considered the historical environment during the implementation of revitalization strategies, such as by limiting the placement of tourist amenities. However, the organizationʼs insufficient knowledge about maintenance, including the use of artificial materials, led to problems of regulatory loopholes. Therefore, the village community must be educated on the proper maintenance of traditional villages from the planning stages of the revitalization business. The use of intangible historical assets in revitalization, coupled with the relevant education of village residents, has raised the possibility of successful asset preservation. However, problems with fostering the next generation of village residents are expected to arise due to an aging population and lack of newcomers. Additionally, because a certain community organization leads most of the revitalization businesses, there is a concern that the level of awareness regarding village preservation may be negatively affected in other organizations.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the issues of maintaining and preserving and passing on the regional characteristics of the kawara roof landscape in terms of the specifications of the roof materials. For this purpose, the color and shape of the hidari-sangawara and the appearance of the munaishi were investigated in the preservation districts of the historic buildings. As a result of this investigation, the following situations were identified. The use of red kawara is being promoted in the Tsuwano Preservation District of the Historic Buildings, and there is a possibility that the use of black kawara will decrease. In the Akizuki Preservation District of the Historic Buildings, the use of hidari-sangawara has decreased dramatically over the past 30 years. In the Yokaichi-gokoku Preservation District of the Historic Buildings, the percentage of shinogi-sangawara rails is two-thirds higher. In the Kaga-hashitate Preservation District of the Historic Buildings, the use of munaishi is characteristic of traditional buildings only. The color, shape, and munaishi of the kawara roof show regional characteristics, and the selection of materials based on detailed examination of the specifications is important for maintaining, preserving, and passing on the characteristics of the landscape.

This is one article of the series study aiming to grasp the actual situation of rural land circulation, and summarize the planning issues related to land use. In the first article, it is proved that based on the major object of farmland transfer, all the 15 villages of Yinjia Subdistrict can be divided into 3 types, “absorption within the village type”（5 villages）, “lending to operators outside the village type”（9 villages）, and “corporate entry into agriculture type”（1 village）, and different types of villages face different land use planning issues. In this article, taking Yinjia village, which is classified into “corporate entry into agriculture type” for research object, 1）the process of corporate entry into agriculture, the overall situation of agricultural land management and the current problems is explored, 2）the jobs-housing relationship of the residents inside the village, the situation and trend of homestead use is explored, 3）the overall situation of land use and the future issues are prospected. The results are as follows. ①Among the 210 hectares of agricultural land in Yinjia Village, 180 hectares of farmland are leased to corporates, and only nearly 30 hectares of farmland are cultivated by farmers themselves. ②The residents of the village are composed of household registration population engaged in agricultural production, household registration population not engaged in agricultural production, and non-resident registration population. ③In order to ensure the continuous use of farmland and homesteads, it is necessary to strengthen the management of agricultural companies and provide employment opportunities for residents.

The Community-Led Farm Irrigation Management（CFIM） Project aims to maintain and strengthen the regional operation of regional irrigation facilities which have been established across Japan since the 1990s. Residents were involved in these projects from the planning phase, and the use, management, and maintenance of the space was essentially self-directed by them ; this was the crucial factor that fostered residentsʼ long-lasting attachment and devotion to the water environment improvement spaces. The first generation of residents is now in their 60s to 80s. In order to sustain the project into the future, the younger residents—the second generation, which is currently in their 30s to 50s—need to take over. The present study assessed the persistence of the CFIM Project introduced and then operated by the first generation of residents in Koura town, Shiga Prefecture since 1989. We assessed the structure of community developments directed by the residents, the use and management of irrigation facilities that were improved by each village, and the intention of the residents concerning ceding the project to the future generation. The results revealed remarkable differences across 13 villages concerning the current state and the future prospects of the projects, thereby leading to thirteen communities being classified into approximately two types based on these characteristics. Finally, how to support the sustainability of the project and how it should be ceded to the next generation were discussed.

This study aimed to explore the spatial composition and maintenance of “Utaki”（traditional sacred space） and the management of the local festivals at Kabira, Taketomi, and Hoshidate in the Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa. A spatial survey of Utaki was conducted. Further, the officers of the organization of community centers that holds each of these local festivals were interviewed. In Kabira, Utaki have a closed spatial composition and are managed by parishioners that migrants from outside the prefecture are not allowed to participate. Prayers are conducted in Utaki by a female priest called “Tsukasa” in most of the local festivals. In Taketomi, the management of Utaki differs depending on their rating in the village. Utaki have an open space like a shrine. The organization of community centers conducts festivals in which all the islanders participate. The migrants can also participate in these festivals. In Hoshidate, the organization of community centers plays a major role in the management of Utaki. Some Utaki are used as tsunami shelters and windbreaks. The organization where migrants serve as executives holds traditional festivals along with contemporary events. The above results show that the spatial composition of Utaki and the local festivals differed among the three regions. Based on this, the study makes the following suggestions. If the traditional organizations remain like in Taketomi, it is important to manage the organization to educate migrants about Utaki and the local festivals. However, if the traditional organizations are weakened, as in the case of Hoshidate, it is important for the organization of community centers to maintain traditions by making them easily accessible for the younger generations and migrants.

Community-based farming organizations have played a role as leaders in local agriculture. However, many communities face the challenge of not being able to secure successors due to the aging population and the increasing number of part-time farmers. In response to the challenge, some cases from communities that aimed to assist agricultural newcomers have been reported ; these novice farmers receive training and ultimately take over the entire farming management. This study elucidates the development of the successorʼs place-attachment to communities and a community-based farming organization, and the characteristics of successorʼs personal networks using a case study of an agricultural newcomer in Yamagata Prefecture. We used a combination of the following methods : measurement of regional and organizational commitment, personal network analysis, and interview surveys. The main findings are as follows : ⑴ the affective commitment was high for both regional and organizational commitment. The calculative commitment also tended to be higher. This was attributed to the fact that the successor was able to increase the agricultural income by joining the agricultural organization. ⑵ The successorʼs networking efforts mainly involved neighbors in the communities and with those involved in farming. Stronger relationships with neighbors led to developing higher levels of both affective and calculative commitment, which comprise regional commitment. In addition, relationships with those involved in farming led to higher calculative commitment of the organizational commitment. In order to build such a strong network, not only the successorsʼ own efforts in farming but also active involvement and assistance of the community residents and agricultural organization are indispensable.

While there is increasing interest in living in rural areas, especially among young people, there are not enough opportunities for them to earn a secure income in these areas. However, there are areas where entrepreneurs by migrants are in abundance such as Nishiawakura-son village, Okayama prefecture which is a case of this study. This study aims to investigate the mechanisms built in these areas and how they are connected to the chain of entrepreneurship. It further analyzes the structure of the regional system surrounding entrepreneurship. First, a preliminary documentary survey was conducted, and key persons/actors in the village, such as government officials, entrepreneurs, and immigrants were identified. Second, survey interviews of the representatives were conducted. We found that the entrepreneurial process can be classified into three stages : building relationships, trial/commercialization, and expansion/establishment. Additionally, entrepreneurs and migrants are supported by the local government and a few organizations based on their entrepreneurial stage. There was almost no direct relationship between entrepreneurs and local residents. However, the local government has built a foundation for establishing relationships for new entrepreneurship, and the government-private collaboration system is creating a chain of entrepreneurs. To solve regional issues, the local government has created a system to bring in external human resources and capital and develop private sector companies through collaborative projects, while outsourcing its own resources. In doing so, the process becomes a form of capital for the region, thereby attracting new capital.

The outflow of young people from rural to urban areas as well as an increasingly ageing population are placing a strain on the regional economy. Because of this, the local government has the increasingly crucial role of providing the kind of support for residents that is generally provided by private companies or the residents themselves in urban areas. However, this kind of support in rural areas are not sustainable because of a shortage of labor and the increasing cost to the local government. On the other hand, introducing autonomous driving technology is expected to bring many benefits—not only in urban areas but also in rural areas—and can become part of the mobility solution for people living in rural areas. Although current discussions about autonomous driving largely focus on its effects within urban settings, studies considering the effects on rural areas are rarer. Moreover, almost all studies focus on residentsʼ attitude and preference for autonomous driving. It is not easy in rural areas to ask residents if they would like to use autonomous driving technology in the future—it is difficult for elderlies to imagine nonetheless evaluate a new technology that is still a concept they cannot see. Therefore, this study focuses on administrative services that support those living in rural areas. From the viewpoint of administrative services, this study investigates the effectiveness of introducing autonomous driving technology based on actual survey concerning the use of government vehicles and interviews with local government officials.

In this paper, I explore some issues of participation in rural development through the action research in Aomori Prefecture. At first, by the review of works of rural planning and action researches on organizational and rural development, I clarify three issues on participation : 1）how can we arouse the ownership of stakeholders? especially, through arousing sense of crisis or appreciation of stakeholders? 2）how should be anybody included as participants? especially, should we simply adopt the famous rule of “putting the last first” ? 3）how can we manage the process of stakeholdersʼ participation adaptively? Secondly, I examine these three issues through the action research whose main material is the records of my own facilitation in more than 81 workshops of rural development projects in Aomori Prefectureʼs 18 municipalities. As result, by the comparative analysis of main three or four municipalitiesʼ cases, I conclude on above-mentioned three issues : 1）for arousing the ownership of stakeholders, we should stimulate nor their sense of general crisis nor of self-appreciation but their sense of proper crisis pertained to their live concern. 2）for promoting the self-organizational participation, we should not put the last first simply and hastily but at first level the relationship between stakeholders and external experts towards sequential putting the inferior superior among stakeholders. 3）for managing the stakeholdersʼ participation adaptively, we should accept the transition of stakeholdersʼ concern and promote stakeholders including local government staff to share their consistent goal that we researchers should also promote them to put into words.