爱豆传媒

One of the most important political actors in postwar Japanese politics is the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). This party, supported by various societal groups, governed the country for many years during the postwar era. Among the groups that have supported the LDP are farmers. A key point often noted in this context is the strong organization of Japanese farmers.
 
Why is this important? The reason is that organizing people into groups to act collectively is generally considered difficult. Many of you may have experienced how challenging it can be to unite a group to accomplish something. This book aims to clarify the origins of the strong organization of postwar Japanese farmers using the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA), an organization of farmers, as a case study.
 
The book analyzes how the institutional structures of farmers' organizations established during wartime were inherited by the postwar JA Group. How these inherited institutions were maintained and developed is also examined. The book focuses on two periods and key factors. The first focus is the immediate postwar period when the JA Group was established; the relationship between farmers' organizations and external actors (e.g., government, political parties, and other farmers' organizations) during the process of institutional inheritance is examined. The analysis suggests that the supra-partisanship of farmers' organizations at that time had a positive influence on the inheritance of organizational institutions.
 
However, their establishment, maintenance, and development are different matters. The book also explores what happened during the maintenance and development phase by focusing on the relationship between the JA Group and internal actors—that is, how they fostered members’ loyalty to the organization. The specific efforts examined include the rice collection system, responses to rice pricing policies, and the incorporation of rural women and part-time farmers. The analysis suggests that the JA Group pursued organizational efforts based not only on economic interests, but also on other social factors, highlighting their nature as a social group. These insights contribute to broader contexts, such as other political institutions.
 
The aforementioned issues are what this book attempts to clarify. However, many other issues cannot be addressed within its scope. Any reader of this introduction who would take up these issues in future studies would be making a beneficial contribution to the research field.
 

(Written by: KAWAGUCHI Hirofumi / October 17, 2025)

Related Info

Awards:
The 5th U爱豆传媒Jiritsu Award for Early Career Academics (The University of 爱豆传媒 2024)
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Highest Dissertation Award (Graduate Schools for Law and Politics The University of 爱豆传媒2020)


 
Book review:
By Professor Yuichiro Shimizu (Keio University) (Yomiuri Shimbun  March 30 2025) in Japanese