在1999年公佈〈食料、農業、農村基本法〉，日本政府將農業視為產業的一部分，並以發展農業為目的，強調從全體國民的觀點來制定農業相關政策，明確界定農業、農村之角色，並朝向「農業永續發展」及「農村振興」之目標，以建構國民對於生活及生命能安全、安心，並能讓農民對農業有信心，且能引以為傲，賦予生產者與消費者、都市居民與農村居民「共生」的新政策體系。 循環型社會之鄉村綜合振興策略，不僅加強相關機關的政策整合，更強調跨越鄉鎮領域及地區居民自發性的配套措施。從「達成全國共通的鄉村最低限度」轉變為「營造一有個性、有活力的地區」下，加強與其他相關部門的橫向聯繫合作，並重視地區居民的決策參與。在氣候、風土習慣、自然環境、地理特性等共通特性的跨鄉鎮區域「聯繫」與「交流」下，邁向實現多樣性地區營造，並提供國民多元化生活選擇等方向發展。 本研究已整理日本鄉村社會所面臨人口、產業、區位結構調整的問題，並討論推動循環型社會之鄉村綜合振興背景與動機，以及說明該計畫所強調鄉村與都市各自擁有的長處與特色，以期待構築城鄉互惠的關係。最後，除了檢驗這些城鄉交流的具體措施與預測期外的影響，我們認為日本城鄉循環思維將對未來農業政策產生新的啟示。

According to “the Basic Law of Food, Agriculture adn Rural Areas” (1999), Japan government pointed out that the agriculture considered as the part of the industrial development. Agricultural development not only emphasized on the formulation of the agricultural policy from the nation's viewpoint, clearly defined the role of agricultural and the scope of rural areas, but also approached to the sustainable agricultural development and the development of rural areas to secure the nation's living and life, and increase farmers' confidences. The Rural Synthesis Development Strategies (RSDS), one of main developmental policies of the Basic Law, focused on the reciprocal and symbiotic relationships, and provided the new circulation society in which contained consumers, metropolis and the rural inhabitants. In the circulation society, local governments had to strengthen the policy conformity among the related institutions, and emphasis on the countermeasure sumounts among the differences of villages and towns, as well as the local inhabitant's spontaneously actions. In order to create the individuality and the vigor rural areas from the limited boundaries of the national villages, the transformation focused on the cooperation among the cross-sections and decision-makings by local participations. Under the same climate, local conditions and customs, natural environment, geography characteristics, the regions of cross-villages and -towns are related and exchanged by the multiple-choice of life styles to the nation. The study summarized many issues of population, industrial, the ecological structure adjustment in Japanese rural area, and discussed the backgrounds and the motivations of RSDS to the circulation society that described the characteristics of the active rural areas and urban areas, respectively, to develop the reciprocal benefit relationships. Moreover, the impacts of RSDS regarding the exchange between urban areas and rural areas are indicated through the concrete measures and the unanticipated influences. Finally, the new concept of the circulation society concluded to inspire the future of agricultural policies.