Agriculture Committee - Nougyouiinkai

Administrative committees are established in municipalities based on the Law on Agricultural Committees (1951) and the Local Autonomy Law (1947) primarily to reflect the opinions of farmers in administration related to farmland. Prefectural agricultural councils and national agricultural chambers are established in prefectures as upper organizations, forming a three-tiered organization similar to agricultural cooperatives. After World War II, agricultural land committees were established to involve farmer representatives in the implementation of agrarian reform, and agricultural adjustment committees for food supply and agricultural improvement committees for agricultural improvement and extension were also established. These three administrative committees were integrated when they had completed their initial tasks and were relaunched as agricultural committees. The agricultural committees are responsible for "developing agricultural productivity and streamlining agricultural management, and contributing to the improvement of the status of farmers" (Article 1 of the Law on Agricultural Committees), and are responsible for (1) granting permission for the transfer of farmland, (2) providing guidance and recommendations on farmland use and agricultural promotion, (3) carrying out tasks such as farmer pensions and successor measures, and (4) agricultural policy activities. All of these are important tasks that concern the "land and people" that form the foundation of agricultural production, and it is expected that the Agricultural Committee will work with other agricultural organizations, such as local governments and agricultural cooperatives, to contribute to the development of local agriculture.

Furthermore, compared to other administrative committees such as the Board of Education and the Labor Relations Committee, the Agricultural Commission is the only one that still retains a system of public election of its members, making it a unique entity within Japan's administrative committee system.

[Takaaki Ohtawara]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

主として農地に関する行政に農民の意見を反映させるために、「農業委員会等に関する法律」（1951）および「地方自治法」（1947）に基づいて市町村に設置されている行政委員会。上部機構として都道府県に都道府県農業会議、さらに全国農業会議所が置かれ、農業協同組合と似た系統三段階組織になっている。第二次世界大戦後、農地改革の実施に農民代表を参加させる目的で農地委員会が設置され、同じように食糧供出のための農業調整委員会、農業改良普及事業のための農業改良委員会が設置されたが、この三つの行政委員会がいちおうの任務を終了した時点で統合され、再出発したのが農業委員会である。農業委員会は、「農業生産力の発展及び農業経営の合理化を図り、農民の地位の向上に寄与するため」（「農業委員会等に関する法律」1条）、〔1〕農地移動に関する許認可、〔2〕農地利用や農業振興についての指導・建議、〔3〕農業者年金や後継者対策などの業務、〔4〕農政活動、などを行っている。これらはいずれも農業生産の根幹をなす「土地と人」にかかわる重要な業務であり、農業委員会が、自治体や農業協同組合など他の農業団体と協力して、地域農業の発展に貢献することが期待されている。

　農業委員会はまた、教育委員会や労働委員会など他の行政委員会に比べると、委員の公選制を残している唯一のものであり、わが国の行政委員会制度のなかでも特異な存在である。

［太田原高昭］

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