Since the 1930s, traditional youth organizations (Wakamono-Gumi) in the village society have been re-evaluated as positive influences with autonomomy and educational functions, and idealized as the origin of the Young Men's Assiciations (Seinen-Dan) by the Leaders of Seinen-Dan. I would like to define this theory as “Seinen-Dan=Wakamono-Gumi” in the paper.

  I would like to analyze Wakamono-Gumi in the “Seinen-Dan=Wakamono-Gumi Botai” theory as an educational discourse in the theories on Seinen-Dan in the Post War Period.

  From the end of the war to the 1960s, Wakamono-Gumi disapeared in the theories of Seinen-Dan because “Seinen-Dan=Wakamono-Gumi Botai” theory and the idealized Wokomono-Gumi were critcised for their arbitrary nature by the scholars in youth education.

  In the mid-1960s, however, Nihon Seinenkan, which had the intention of reviving the prewar theory on Seinen-Dan, republished books on the perwar theory. That revived the “Seinen-Dan=Wakamono-Gumi Botai” theory and the idealized Wakamono-Gumi in the theories on Seinen-Dan. And in the mid-1960s, Wakamono-Gumi appeared as the image of small groups which have close relationships (Tamariba) in the “Seikatsu-Shudan” theory which was proposed by Nasuno Takakazu in Seinen-Dan Ron (1976).

  Since then, although “Seinen-Dan=Wakamono-Gumi Botai” theory and the idealized Wakamono-Gumi have been criticised in demonstorative studies, Wakamono-Gumi continues to exist as an educational discourse.

Young groups have been major concern in the developmental history of social education in Japan. Yamamoto Taikinosuke (1873-1931)played an important role in the development of Japanese youths. Focusing on his maiden work-Inaka Seinen-this paper aims to elucidate Yamamoto's early views on youth education. In Yamamoto's work, we discover the following facts. First, the form of youth education theory that Yamamoto espoused sought to cultivate young people who would help bring prosperity to the countryside. The aim was to build a sound country that balanced urban and rural power. Secondly, to foster the youth, Yamamoto advocated an approach-based on simplicity and frugality-that anyone could implement in their daily lives. Namely, he advocated youth education as a means to rescue young people in the countryside from the life of depravity they were currently leading. Thirdly, Yamamoto stressed the importance of self-reliance / critical thinking among the young. Rather than simply having them acquire existing knowledge, he felt that it was critical for young people to cultivate the ability to think critically and more deeply about issues, while maintaining concern for others / the society as a whole. The educational views that Yamamoto advocated in Inaka Seinen differs from that provided by traditional village youth organizations. By stressing the importance of allowing young people to enjoy independence and individuality, Yamamoto helped spark the dawn of modern youth education in Japan.

  This study focuses on the U.S. occupation periods in Amami and Okinawa and aims to identify commonalities and differences in the postwar youth group movements on each island. It also aims to determine differences in the youth group movements in Amami and Okinawa, which have been combined, and confirm the uniqueness of the youth group movements in each region.

  When considering the uniqueness of the youth group movement in Amami and Okinawa, a total view of the islands should be taken while keeping in mind the geographical division of the four archipelagic government systems. The establishment of the Ryukyuan Government in 1952 placed Amami and Okinawa under the same administrative regime, at least temporarily. The 1950s was the period of occupation and a time when Amami and Okinawa’s movements to return to their homeland overlapped. Although interlocking movements occurred during the same period, most studies tended to discuss Amami and Okinawa separately.

  Therefore, this study focuses on the unique youth group movements in Amami and Okinawa during the occupation period from the islands and municipalities to the unit youth group stage. It examines the unique nature of the youth group movements in Amami and Okinawa, considering the multilayered nature and differences of the youth group movements under the U.S. occupation.

  The purpose of this paper is to clarify the existance of a dual structure of youth organizations in modern Japan. This paper examines the case of Naguri village in Saitama Prefecture.

  In Naguri village, school teachers and men of renown led to estabilish young men's associations (Seinen-Kai), which aimed for the improvement of traditional youth organizations (Wakamono-Gumi), in the school district from the 1880's to 1890's. Later Seinen-Kai were unified into a village level organization, and became a group to encourage industry after the Russo-Japanese War.

  However, there had been Wakamono-Gumi in every village through modern time. The Seinen-Kai coexisted with the Wakamono-Gumi until the Naguri-Mura Seinen-dan was estabilished in 1922.

  It is supposed that youth evaluated Wakamono-Gumi as the group in daily life, and Seinen-Kai was seen as an official group.

  The purpose of this paper is to clarify the background of discourses that honor Tazawa Yoshiharu, who was a representative ideologue of prewar Young Men's Association (Seinen-dan), and the Japan Federation of Young Men's Associations (Dai-Nippon Rengo Seinen-Dan), that have appeared several times in the post war period.

  After World War II, the Nippon-Seinenkan has honored Tazawa and the Dai-Nippon Rengo Seinen-Dan of the prewar period from the end of the war to the early 1950s and in the middle 60s. And Kumagai Tatsujiro, who was one of the prewar Seinen-dan leaders, also has honored the Dai-Nippon Rengo Seinen-Dan from the middle 50s to 70s.

  The question we have to ask here is why this praise of Tazawa and the Dai-Nippon Rengo Seinen-Dan have often appeared in the post war period.

  As a result, this paper shows the following;

  (1) Many of the people concerned with the Dai-Nippon Rengo Seinen-Dan or Nippon-Seinenkan in the prewar period who were purged from public service after the war returned to Nihon Seinen-kan in the 1960s, so, a clear continuity from the prewar period was seen among the officers of the Nippon-Seinenkan in middle 1960s.

  (2) It is supposed that they had adopted the Wartime corporatism (Kyo-do Shugi) and emphasized the political neutrality of the young men's associations in the postwar period.