In the agriculture of Japan, cooperative work for the purpose of production is lately spreading over the whole country. In Aichi Pref., the group cultivation of waterfield rice plants was performed, and so it became the object of public attention. We are now in a period of transition from private management to joint cooperative.
This practice sets up a district with a farming settlement as the central figure. Rice of only one kind is used and the first grains of rice are set aside. A schedule of the cooperative water (for irrigation) control, extermination of noxious insects and fertilizer is also kept. Among them, we can see some groups which are formed of ten farming houses or so and are kept at cooperative work by mechanized farming up to harvest time.
This practice was first introduced into the area where damage is more or less always follows typhoon and sea-water, and where the area is of low productive capacity. Nowadays there is greater possibility for extension towards the practice area, where irrigation facilities from river and reservoir (pond) are provided; however, the author does not see much chance of it towards an area in the mountains where imperfect irrigation facilities are found.
Group cultivation of aquatic rice differs in degree according to the difference of agricultural management in a village community; in a village where hothouse management is incorporated in the new practice, and the cultivation of rice plant is subordinated to it, the cooperation has a tendency to be limited with in confines which do not restrict the main field to the management. It has little influence on the other field, with the exception of rice plants, and only gives an opportunity for partial cooperation. There is ample hope for the most favorable growth of cooperation in a farming settlement where many commuters who have modern sense live in farmhouses within easy reach of the city, and have an income of ready money. In these farming settlements, people are concerned about the elevation of labor productivity by establishing a system of wages, as compared with the increase of harvesting and the economy of the price for fartilizer. In a farming village of a rice field area, where they have little influence from the city, on the other hand, there is a fair possivility that people may continue such cooperation within the limit of traditional practice, when there is no need to alter institutions as a requisite condition for production by exchange of land and mechanization.
In any case, farmers are interested in the advantages claimed for this group cultivation, though there are many problems awaiting solution at different stages in each districts. Accordingly, there is still more a possibility for exteusion of this practice, towards the area where irrigation is provided.

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It is the recent trend of agricultural land explotion in Japan that the development paddy field on lowland is slow in progress with only exception on the reclaimed land and the development of upland field is taking main part. At the seashore of Saga Plain (Fig. 1) along Ariake Sea, Kyushu, tidalmarsh develops faster (Fig. 2) and coastline has marched forward by 10 meters a year. The topographical charcteristics of reclaimed land are shown in Fig. 5.
The earliest reclamation was recorded in 1258 and many reclaimed land with area of about 10ha were made by farmers until about 1860 which were called Komori or Karami (Fig. 6). Since Meiji Era large-scale reclamation has been done by landowners or the state authority.
The very aim of reclaimed land is rice production; it is used as wheat or cotton field some years after the completion and then it changes into rice-field after the salt diminishing. In the case of reclaimed land agriculture in Saga, rice has been planted on the fertile soil brought from the creek-bottom in the form of mire. Though not so important technical progress was made in agriculture by 1921, only pumping-up by man power has changed into mechanical irrigation since 1922. Then, success of rice plant improvement and of prevention against damage by blight and noxious insects; increase of the owner farmers and exodus of farmers to North-Kyushu Industrial Zone, and the increase of reclaimed lands made possible the large-scale management at the Japanese standard for 1.5ha, and the highest rice yield in Japan at 1935-1938.
After the World War II the social and economical situations have changed and the agricultural management have been diversified, dairy farming and the use of hand tractor being introduced, but the agricultural production has been low in rate.
From the analysis on some elements in this area, three problems are pointed out; (1) lowering of fertility, (2) shortage of irrigation water, (2) dispersion of cultivated lands and long distance to go to work (Fig. 8), and the reorganization of the pattern of cultivated lands and villages seems to be necessary for higher development of reclaimed land agriculture.

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The Heguri Valley is located along the middle course of the Ikoma River, both banks of which consist of wide alluvial plain, and have since long boon cultivated by its native farmers. The community of this valley depends on the water of the Ikoma River and a great many ponds for its water sourse, which is apt to fall short of their demand. Hence so-called Bansui (water-watching) system -a system of strict control over the distribution of water for their rice-planting -is adopted. According to this system, water is distributed among the rice-fields by way of the time schedule. The system is a very old one which has prevailed throughout the community of the Heguri Valley, and makes the local pecuriarity. We can, however, notice some cases changed with the system; the water-supply method at the village of Tsubai is one example. The village above mentioned once had the control of water by way of the sluice of weir, but as too much labour and expense had been required for it, they seceded from its partnership and provided themselves with a modern equipment which enabled them to pump up water directly from the river-bed of the Heguri Valley. The eastern slope of Mt. Ikoma has also boon efficiently cultivated into rice-fields and a strict regulation over the distribution of water has been established there again. Generally speaking, the lower-class peasants are charged for the expense more heavily than the upperclass, and those who are in charge of water-control have big influence over the general administration of the community.

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