The average volume of ruuning water in the upper reaches of Shirakawa River watering Nango valley in volcanic Mt. Aso is not so small but the area irrigated by the river is not extensive. Besides, in this area water is being supplied additionally with aid of pumps from another river system, with the result that in the event of drought troubles are bound to arise in order to get enough supply of water. This is because the paddy-fields in tablelands and valleys along the middle reaches of the river use up a great deal of water for their areas while no part of supplied water goes back to the river. A peculiarity of the river should be taken into consideration that its long channel stretches over the lava fields where paddy fields are to be supplied with water by using ditches. Already nnder the clan government people living along the upper and the lower reaches of the Shirakawa River used to meet in conference in time of diminution of water to find a solution to difficult water distribution. For a long time it was an agreement between that upon request of the people of the lower stream the people of the upper stream would stop using water of the river for a certain time, thereby allowing sufficient volume of water to flow downstream.
On the other hand, a remakable development of stairslike paddy fields can be seen in the areas along the upper reaches of the Ono River that drains the east-side foot of Mt. Aso. What is characteristic of the irrigation of these rice fields is that water is supplied through tunnels made in the lava bed. This method of irrigation, rare in Japan, was devised to surmount topographical difficulties in those areas. The tunnels are well taken care of to prevent leakage of passing water. There are few rivers having the catchment area of great extent flowing on the slope of a volcano, and in addition, the flat land, if any, on it where it is possible to grow rice is in need of quantities of water. Such a land will be best utilized by growing two crops of rice cultivated on dry land and wheat in succession and theredy stretching out the irrigated area.

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The purpose of the present report is to analyze the distribution of industries in Japan, to set up the inbustrial districts, and to grasp the characteristics of those districts.
Data were obtained from “A Nation-wide Survey of Factories, 1950, ” compiled by the International Trade and Industry Ministry, and “A Survey of Factories, 1950, ” compiled by the International Trade and Industry Ministry, and “A Survey of Factories, 1909, ” compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce. Factories employing more than 5 workers were numbered and classified according to the following weights: factories employing 5-49 workers………1, and factories employing 50-99 worers ………3, factories employing 100-199 workers………6, factories employing 200-499 workers………12, factories employing 500-999 workers………25, and factories employing more than 1, 000 workers………50.
(1) Distribution of industries (Fig. 1). Indicated by the oblique lines are areas with considerably dense distribntibution of industries. Areas with especially dense distribution of indnstries are shown by black. The distribution is influenced by topography, communication, labor, and markets. For example, the relation between railroads and the distribution of industries is shown in Fig. 2. In agricultural districts the distribution is dense in the mountain foot areas. In many cases this is due to superfluous labor.
(2) Representative industries (Fig. 3). Chief industries in the big 4 industrial districts of Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Northern Kyushu are those of maceine and metal. Areas of these industries are surrounded by the areas of fiber industry. Industries in the agricultural districts are represented by those of food and timber. Food industry tends to be geographically closer to market places than timber industry. In particular, in the outskirts of the big 4 industrial districts, there are areas of food industries.
(3) Density of isfribuion (Fig. 4). Hawmany kinds of industries does each city, town, or village have? Itcan be theoretically surmised that many industries concentrate in places where conditions advantageous to them exist. Accordingly, from the density of distribution alone, it will be possible to ascertain to a certain extent the state of industrialization. Generally viewed, the area including sources of electricity in central Japan and the coast of the Inland Sea have high density of distribution of industries, beside the big 4 industrial districts.
(4) Increase and decrease (Fig. 5) The industrial revolution in Japan was completed by World War I. In Fig. 5 are compared the increase and decrease of industries both in 1909 and in 1950.
(5) Management of indnstries (Fig. 6). Whether industry is managed as modern industry or as home industry is shown in Fig. 6.
(6) Industrial districts (Fig. 7). In Fig. 7 industrial districts are set up, taking into account all factors above mentioned. ‘A’ is the most advanced district; ‘B, ’ ‘C, ’ ‘D, ’ and ‘E’ are the districtcts less advanced than ‘A’.
(7) Industrial cities (Fig. 8). Cities marked with black are noted for machine, metal and chemical industries; cities marked wi thoblique lines are noted for fiber industry; and cities marked with white for timber, food, and chinaware industries.

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The area drained by the middle of the River Kako, Hyogo Prefecture, is a rural district where many old and traditional middle and small industries co-exist. The production of frozen bean-curd, cotton textile, abacuses, fish-hooks, sickles, saws, scissors, knives, razors, etc. is an activity deeply rooted in this rural society in the form of domestic industry, or factory industry on a very small scale. What is characteristic of this district is that while none of the above-mentioned industries is self-supporting in point of productive means such as materials and fuel, their products predominate in the market, domestic or foreign, even monopolize it at times. The author has attempted to establish a location theory of rural industry by picking out the above district where rural industry is most thriving in present-day Japan.
In modern capitalistic society, rural industry, which has of necessity to be managed on middle and small scales and whose modernization has lagged far behind as compared with urban indnstry, must have its own raison d'être. For there exists a distinct relationship of division of work between urban and rural industries, with the result that any industries which need a great deal of labor tend to become rural because they are in this way able to depend on superfluous labor in the agricultural district. The district picked out by the author has labor enough to make those industries possible.
With the returning home of emigrants, the industrial technics were brought back, which helped develop various industries in the district. However, it is not possible to find any planning thrgouhout development of certain sorts of industries in cartain areas; on the contrary, there is unconsciousness or accidentalityin every case. Any type of industry, as long as its first requirement was labor, was able to grow in this district.
The production of saws, scissors, razors, etc. was at the beginning monopolized by each guild of the town of Miki, in accordance with a common principle of the middle ages. Such a control, however, could not last, and blacskmiths began to appear in the areas surrounding the town. The present-day distribution of blacksmiths forms a pyramid centering round Miki. The same pyramidal distribution of cotton textile industry can be recognized around the town of Nishiwaki.
As an important factor deciding the future of any industry, there is changing demand of the market. It exert an influece upon the expansion and transformation of the indnstrial areas that exist in a mixed state. The decrease in demand has caused an indnstrial area to disappear where a certain kind of comb and other old-fashioned articles were produced. On the other hand an industrial area for cotton textile now predominates due to the acquisition of foreign markets.
Any industry originally snpported by the quantity of labor will necessarily bring up skilled workers. As a result the quality of labor in turn will become an important factor making that industry possible. Unless those skilled workers move to other districts, the industry inclines to stay where it is originally located even when it undergoes a certain amount of modernisation.

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