Publisher's Synopsis
While many studies have been written on the farm tenancy disputes that undermined the social fabric in Japan between the First and the Second World War, the Japanese government's major response to these disputes, namely the creation of an in-court conciliation procedure has not received proportionate attention. In fact, this is the first book-length study on the farm tenancy conciliation procedure and analysis of the Japanese government's wish to maintain tradition at al cost in the farmer community. The farm tenants as well as the landowners were from 1917 struggling for their right for better opportunities and hence, a better life in the context of Japan's modernization. This book does focus on the ultimate answer by the Japanese government to the disputes between farmer tenants and their landowners, the Farm Tenancy Conciliation Law of 1924. The major focus of this part, however, will be on the role of the Tenancy Officer in the functioning of this law. This tenancy officer has never received in depth attention in- or outside Japan. This book overcomes this neglect and is based mainly upon first-hand reports of the farm tenancy disputes written by the mediators and upon original diaries of tenancy officers. This book provides a new insight in alternative dispute resolution in Japan specifically and in the interaction of law and society in general.
