The co-operative research of the social structure of the cities and the self-government of residents in Japan

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This research made it the central subject to analyse the residential association called "chonai-kai" in Japan. For the "chonai-kai" is found anywhere in contemporary Japan and has inevitable functions in the community life of the residents. The first subject is to get the historical materials and to analyse by those the birth and growth of the town and neighborhood associations. We recognize that the neighborhood association "chonai" was born at the end of the medieval times in the old metropolis Kyoto and had the considerable competences of the residential self-governmemt and grew to the true community of the city. But after the pre-modern state power unified Japan,"chonai" association was ruled by it and lost most of the self- governmental competences. That ruling power,howerer,necessitated the assistance of "chonai" associations to administrate the residential and domestic matters ,so recognized their organizations officially and depended on their self-governmetal competences.And after the modern times Meiji era came,"chonai" associations lost the official position and survived as the little regional associations called "chonai-kai". During the World War II, Japanese military authorities utilized them as lowest units of the Fascism system. After the World War II, Japanese have achieved the marvelous development of economy and have experienced the social dis-organization especially in the urban areas. Most of "chonai-kai" associations decrease their functions by the population movement and the social dis-organization. At the same time,however,"chonai-kai"associations have been newly born in the new housing estates.Speaking generaly, "chonai-kai"associations are the incubator of the true community of residents in Japan.