Two Reorganizations in Japanese Fishery Areas: Fisheries Cooperative Associations and Region Management Organizations

This introductory review offers a brief overview of the progress in Japanese fishery geography by examining selected literatures as well as key geographical characteristics of Japanese fishery areas by outlining a modern history and the recent trends in such areas. Especially for the recent trends, this study focuses on two reorganizations of the economic and social sides, the consolidation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations (FCAs, gyogyo kyodo kumiai) and the establishment of Region Management Organizations (RMOs, chiiki un’ei soshiki), referencing the historical backgrounds and examples of the Hirado region in northwestern Kyushu. By understanding the spatial relationships between two such reorganized systems for livelihood and self-government, this review identifies the future prospects for the geographical study of fishery areas. Researchers should consider such recent regional groups as FCAs and RMOs on a middle-scale in addition to fishery villages as conventional basic units on a small-scale in local societies, which are experiencing various large-scale mergers due to Japan’s aging and drastically declining population.