Suchergebnisse

In the 1980s, with advancing information technology and business globalization, Tokyo emerged as a major business and financial center in the world economy. Especially after 1985 Tokyo and then other large cities experienced a strong boom and a rapid increase in land values. It should be pointed out that, instead of high land prices restricting domestic demand, the appreciation of land along with other assets has helped boost the economy through the wealth effect and has made Japan the "richest" nation in the world in terms of the value of assets. There are, however, some serious problems associated with land in Tokyo and other large cities. Among them are inefficient land use, inadequate public infrastructure, and an increasing disparity between the haves and the have-nots due to land-price escalation. To solve these problems, it is essential that excessive regulations over land use and transactions be removed and the present land-tax system be reformed. Japan's land problem must be dealt with by encouraging the supply of land and the efficient use of land.

THE APPRECIATION OF LAND ALONG WITH OTHER ASSETS HAS HELPED BOOST THE JAPANESE ECONOMY THROUGH THE WEALTH EFFECT AND HAS MADE JAPAN THE RICHEST NATION IN THE WORLD IN TERMS OF THE VALUE OF ASSETS. HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME SERIOUS PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH LAND IN TOKYO AND OTHER LARGE CITIES. AMONG THEM ARE INEFFICIENT LAND USE, INADEQUATE PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE, AND AN INCREASING DISPARITY BETWEEN THE HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS DUE TO LAND-PRICE ESCALATION. TO SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THE GOVERNMENT REMOVE EXCESSIVE REGULATIONS OVER LAND USE AND TRANSACTIONS AND REFORM THE PRESENT LAND-TAX SYSTEM. JAPAN'S LAND PROBLEM MUST BE DEALT WITH BY ENCOURAGING THE SUPPLY OF LAND AND THE EFFICIENT USE OF LAND.

AbstractThe government of Laos has identified the eradication of poverty as a priority. Given the primarily agricultural character of the country, it has selected land reform as a core policy to reach this goal. The policy has two major aims: to increase land tenure security in order to encourage farmer involvement in intensive farming, and to eliminate slash‐and‐burn agriculture to protect the environment in a country still rich in forest resources. State intervention takes the form of land allocation, a process which combines the protection of some areas of village land with the formal recognition of private ownership in authorized farming areas. In a country with different types of geography, the effects of the policy are variable, but the research presented in this article demonstrates that the land laws have shortcomings which allow for differing interpretations depending on the local social relationships. Since local specificities are not taken into account, the reform is proving counterproductive for both forest protection and agricultural modernization, as well as having a negative social impact by marginalizing the poorest farmers.