Agricultural Public Works and the Changing Mentality of Japanese Farmers in the Postwar Era

Publicly financed civil engineering projects occupy a larger share of GDP in Japan than in other developed countries, leading some critics to describe Japan as a ‘state dominated by construction companies’ (doken kokka). That the share of public works projects related to agriculture has remained high while the share of agriculture in the national economy has declined precipitously has been a particular target of criticism in recent decades. Until the 1970s, however, the importance of such public works projects was widely acknowledged, not only by farmers, but also by the general public.