Chapter 21. The New Trend of Rural Development Policies in Japan

摘要

In Japan the number of farmers is decreasing and nowadays farmers represent an average of only 10% of rural households. Agricultural policies alone cannot effectively combat the difficulties rural areas are currently facing. The Basic Law on food, agriculture and rural areas was passed in 1999 to replace the Basic Agricultural Law of 1961. The food, agriculture and rural plan formulated following enactment of the law emphasises the necessity to distinguish agricultural policies and rural developmentpolicies in order to improve their efficiency and effectiveness. In the field of agricultural polices, the plan suggests the introduction of a new direct payment measure in 2007 in order to accelerate the structural reform of Japanese agriculture. As forrural development policies, it emphasises local initiatives and the valorisation of unique local resources. Four directions of rural development policies are indicated: 1) the conservation of rural resources such as land, water and landscape; 2) the revitalisation of rural economies through the valorisation of unique local resources; 3) the promotion of partnership between rural and urban areas; and 4) the provision of the necessary infrastructure to improve rural life. This paper explains a variety of new measures taken according to these rural development policies, and gives several examples of diversified rural economies.