History
Previously, individual farmers were merely borrowing the land from feudal lords, who in turn were borrowing the land from the emperor.
Land reforms
absentee landlords to sell all their land to the government. Farmers were allowed to own a small amount of farm land that they could rent out to others ( 2.5 acres or one hectare in most parts of Japan, and 10 acres or 4 hectares in Hokkaido).
Under Japan’s 1946 land reform, landlords who owned more than the permitted amount had to sell the excess land to the government at a fixed price. The government then sold it at the same price, giving first preference to any tenant who had been farming the land.
Migration to cities
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, about half of Japan’s population lived in rural areas and half of all households farmed. In 1950, there were over six million farm households in Japan. Even then, about half of farm household members farmed only part-time. During the off-season they would go off to do other kinds of work, a practice called dekasegi. As Japan’s economy recovered in the 1950s and entered the period of high growth, young adults left their farm homes to take jobs in the cities.