Article 15-2. The Agricultural Land Commission of a city, town or village shall consist of a chairman and commissioners.
The chairman shall be elected by co-optation by commissioners;but in cases where the chairman cannot be elected by co-optation by commissioners, the prefectural governor shall appoint the chaiman from among the commissioners who have been elected in accordance with the provisions of Par.8.
The commissioners shall be elected by persons falling under any of the categories mentioned below and having a right to vote from among persons who fall under any of the categories mentioned below and who are eligible to election.
1. A person who engages in cultivation but does not own any agricultural land or whose cultivating area of agricultural land is more than twice as much as the area of agricultural land owned by him.
2. An owner of an agricultural land, who does not engage in cultivation of his land or whose land exceeds in area twice as much as his agricultural land cultivated by him.
3. A person who engages in cultivation and owns agricultural land, but who does not fall within any of the categories mentioned in the preceding two items.
In applying the provisions of the preceding paragraph, an agricultural land owned by a head of the house or family of a person engaging in cultivation who lives in the same house or a head of the house or family of a person engaging in cultivation who does not live in the same house for the reason as specified by Order shall be deemed to be an agricultural land owned by the person engaging in cultivation.
In applying the provisions of Par.3 the head of the house or family of a person who lives in the same house falling within any of the items of the paragraph shall be deemed to be a person falling within the said item of that paragraph.
The prescribed number of commissioners to be elected in accordance with the provisions of Items 1, 2 or 3 of Paragraph 3 shall be respectively five, three or two.
If the prefectural governor deems it necessary, he may increase the number of commissioners to be elected in accordance with the provisions of Par.3 of this Article, but the number increased in respect of Item 1 shall be equal to the total of the number increased in respect of items 2 and 3, and the total number of commissioners to be increased shall not exceed ten.
The prefectural governor may, if he deems it necessary, appoint the commissioners to the extent of three besides the commissioners who are elected in accordance with the provisions of Par.3.
In order to appoint the commissioners mentioned in the preceding paragraph the consent of all the commissioners who have been elected in accordance with the provisions of Para.3 shall be required;provided, however, that this shall not apply to the case where the commissioner to be the chairman is appointed.
A commissioner shall be an honorary post.