Current Status and Perspectives for the 21st Century of Rural Living Improvement Program in Japan

일본의 생활개선사업 현황과 21세기 전망

The rural living improvement in Japan operates in considerations of socio-eoonomic circumstances of rural community as in Korea. After 1945 the program emphasized the improvement of living conditions such as poverty alienation improvement of house and toilet nutrition after war, From 1955, health programs including better cooking and nutrition, house modification and improved living conditions corresponding to the goal of the developed country were carried out. In 1965. the goal of the rural home economics was focused on the harmonized production and living, improvement of the levels of rural living, health and building rural community. From 1975, the goals of the program were to organize the farming in the better ways and improvement of rural women's role. In 1985, making agreeable living conditions was emphasized under the goal of vital rural society. From the period of Heysey(1989${\sim}$), for better living of rural people the government is emphasizing the programs including farm labor management, utilization of farm products, farm management and rural environments. Recognizing the important influencing resources of agents in extension services, on the job and education was implemented step by step from basic to planning to upgrade competencies. The government is trying to construct better with infrastructures, encouraging direct selling the value-added processed food from local farm products with rural people's real name and other countryside resources. Major programs in the 21st centuries are building better rural society with men and women together and considering elders as well as new farmers.