Editing Occupation of Japan (section)

===Land reform===

A sweeping [[land reform]] was also conducted, led by [[Wolf Ladejinsky]] from SCAP. <!-- [[#Reference-Book Notes-1978|(''Book Notes'' 1978:836)]] --> However, Ladejinsky would claim that the real architect of the reform was {{ill|Hiroo Wada|ja|和田博雄}}, former Japanese [[Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan)|Minister of Agriculture and Forestry]].<ref>{{harvnb|Ness|1967|p=819}}</ref> Between 1947 and 1949, approximately {{convert|5800000|acre|km2}} of land (approximately 38% of Japan's cultivated land) were purchased from the [[landlord]]s under the government's reform program and resold at extremely low prices (after inflation) to the farmers who worked them. MacArthur's land reform redistribution resulted in only 10% of the land being worked by non-owners.<ref name=":1" /> By 1950, three million peasants had acquired land, dismantling a power structure that the landlords had long dominated.<ref>{{harvnb|Flores|1970|p=901}}</ref>