Arable land readjustment in Japan: consolidation of Japanese farmland in the century since the institution of the 1899 arable land readjustment act

摘要

Full-fledged arable land readjustment based on modern law began in Japan with the enactment of the 1899 Arable Land Readjustment Act. After the Second World War, the Land Improvement Act of 1949 replaced the fifty-year old original measure on the basis of which large-scale arable land consolidation had begun. We are now at the turn of a new century, 100 years since the start of the Arable Land Readjustment Act and 50 years since the new postwar departure of the Land Improvement Act. Land improvement and arable land readjustment have progressed apace, reflecting the ever-changing conditions of the times and the goals of farmers (here indicating agricultural landowners and cultivators.) This report provides a brief overview of the history of 20~th-century arable land readjustment in Japan (involving paddy fields primarily), and goes on to discuss future prospects.