An empirical study of regional associations in local governments with military bases in Okinawa

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H03706
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Sociology
• Research Institution: Kibi International University
• Principal Investigator: HIRAI Jun 吉備国際大学, 農学部, 准教授 (60435039)
• Research Collaborator: NAMBA Takashi ; FUJITANI Tadaaki ; TAMURA Masao ; SUGIMOTO Kumiko ; OCHI Ikuno ; TAKEDA Yuka ; YAMAMOTO Soyo ; EIZAWA Naoko ; MINAMI Yuichiro ; MAKINO Yoshiko ; SARUWATARI Takeshi
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 社会学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Okinawa's military bases are characterized by the inclusion of many private lands. In Japan's land ownership, local commons is registered as private land. The commons in the south central Okinawa island does not necessarily relate to the primary industry. A typical commons in the areas is a worship place or a sacred land. We examined how the local associations that manage the commons is operated. And the interaction between the military base and the community was clarified focusing on the membership, incorporation, and legitimacy of the groups. The uniqueness of this research lies in the fact that the academic approach to the commons is carried out not as a community research but as a social group research. This study has academic and social significance in considering the conversion of the military base site in Okinawa.

Free Research Field

社会学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

共有地への学術的アプローチを地域社会研究でなく社会集団研究として遂行したところに本研究の独自性がある。この成果は今後の沖縄の地域アソシエーション研究の立脚点になるものである。さらに今後の展開として、沖縄の郷友会型自治会のありようを考察する町内会研究の深化に寄与する。また沖縄の米軍基地が返還されたあとの転用研究にも展開可能である。民有地の軍用地が返還されたあと、その土地がどのように転用されるかを考察するうえで本研究の成果は学術的かつ社会的意義をもつ。