As Great depression hit - Japans exports fell.
- affected the income of people - which resulted in lower demand for farmers produce
- → caused income of farmers to fall by average 43% between 1929 and 1931
- Tenant farmers - tried to get landowners to reduce their rent → but they disagreed
- landowners - even tried to evict tenant farmers - who could not pay rent but many resisted
- tenant farmers → organised themselves into unions.
- they held protest meetings and took landowners to court. sometimes disputes turned violent.