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Japanese city incorporation policies, especially since World War II, have brought into the urban category a significant number of population agglomerations which show heavy agrarian occupational commitments. The unique interpenetration of agrarian and industrial activities in Japan's modern development presents a range of problems for census classification largely unknown in the West. This paper analyzes the extent of the agrarian commitment in Japanese urban structure and suggests means of evaluating official statistics relating to level of urban residence in contemporary Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan's largest city, Tokyo, contains a significant land area under cultivation. The population of Tokyo who are engaged in agriculture are demographically rural, although administratively they are classified as urban. Not only is agriculture present in Tokyo, but the Japanese urban population as a whole reveals significant agrarian employment. The historical development of Japanese urban industrialism is explored for factors underlying the tenacity of employment and social organization elements which are still agrarian in character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pattern of city growth in Korea deviates from that typical of the rise of a large urban population. Most of the urban growth has occurred since the country was annexed by the Japanese, in 1910. The pattern of growth was heavily influenced by the Japanese policy of utilizing Korean resources and manpower for empire development rather than for supplying consumer needs in Korea. Urbanization in Korea under the Japanese was extremely rapid. This was partly due to expanding economic opportunities in urban areas but also because cities served as a refuge from the poverty of densely populated agricultural areas. After World War II, urbanization continued at a rapid rate, but the limited economic base for city growth provided by Japanese activity had largely disappeared. In 1949, 17.2 per cent of the population of South Korea was in incorporated cities, but the occupational distribution showed a persistence of the rural-agricultural focus of the cities. it appears that city growth based on escape from rural conditions has reached a saturation point. However, the outlook for establishing even a partial industrial base for the Korean economy is not promising. Thus the prospect for Korean cities is one of little growth, or even decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]