Frithjof Kuhnen (1996):
Synthesis of Current State of and Trends in Land Tenure and Land Policy in Asia

1.1 East Asia (Japan, Taiwan, Korea)

After World War II, all three countries, whose history is marked by landlords working with small tenants, had an exogenously (militarily) induced egalitarian land reform which was quickly and successfully implemented. Ceilings were set at 3 ha, tenancy was forbidden and, thus, landlordism and dependencies were eliminated. This rapid execution was made possible because of severe economic pressure, high inflation, and a large number of refugees. The inclusion of measures to improve land management is an important factor which is responsible for the relatively great success. The strong boost in agricultural production caused the countries to change from being food importers to becoming food exporters within a few years.

Positive intersectoral linkages led to a speedy parallel development of industry. Beginning with demand for agricultural inputs as a result of rising incomes in agriculture, it spread to consumer goods and infrastructure. The extensive redistribution of land caused a spread of gains, achieved through technological improvements, among many farm families.

In time, agricultural incomes have, to quite an extent, been invested in small-scale industries which soon shifted from production for the local market to export-oriented labour-intensive production. Over the years, many small farmers and the members of their family took up non-agricultural jobs, thus becoming part-time farmers.

As industrialization increases, the income earned from agriculture will not compete with industrial wages, and especially the younger generation lost interest in farming. As land lease, which is the usual instrument for transferring land from persons that are not interested in cultivation to those who want to continue cultivation and not give it up permanently, was forbidden according to the land reform laws, there are problems that remain unsolved because of the needed, but hardly existing land market.

A more detailed analysis shows that individual countries deviate, to quite an extent, from this 'East Asia Model':