TheNeighborhood Association (隣組,Tonarigumi) was the smallest unit of the national mobilization program established by theJapanese government inWorld War II. It consisted of units consisting of 10-15 households organized for fire fighting, civil defense and internal security.^[1]

Neighborhood mutual-aid associations existed in Japan since before theEdo period. The system was formalized on 11 September 1940 by order of theHome Ministry (Japan) underImperial Rule Assistance Association by thecabinet ofPrime MinisterFumimaro Konoe. Participation was mandatory. Each unit was responsible for allocating rationed goods, distributinggovernment bonds,fire fighting,public health, andcivil defense. Each unit was also responsible for assisting theNational Spiritual Mobilization Movement by distribution of governmentpropaganda and organizing participation in patriotic rallies.^[2]

The government also found thetonarigumi useful for the maintenance ofpublic security. A network ofinformants was established linking every neighborhood association with theTokkō Police to watch for infractions of national laws and suspect political or moral behavior.^[3]

Tonarigumi were also organized in territories occupied by Japan for the same purposes, includingManchukuo,Mengjiang, theWang Jingwei Government, and later in occupied territories ofSoutheast Asia (such as the IndonesianRT/RW system^[4]).^[5]

Later in thePacific War thetonarigumi received basic military training to serve as observers for enemy planes over cities or suspicious boats along the coasts. In the final stages of war the Imperial government intended the tonarigumi to form a secondarymilitia in the case of enemy invasion. Sometonarigumi took part in combat inManchukuo, northernChōsen andKarafuto in the closing days of the Pacific War.

Formally abolished in 1947 by theAmerican occupation authorities, the system survives to a certain extent in the modernchonaikai, orjichikai which are nominally independent voluntary associations, but which retain a quasi-governmental status in that they have limited responsibility for localadministration and coordination of activities such asneighborhood watch anddisaster relief.^[6]

• Barangay
• Coastwatchers (Allied Forces)

• Great Japan Youth Party
• Rukun warga andrukun tetangga, modern administrative divisions of Indonesian descended from thetonarigumi

• Senjinkun military code

• Volunteer Fighting Corps

• Cook, Haruko Taya; Theodore F. Cook (1992).Japan at War: An Oral History. New York: The New Press.ISBN 9781565840393.
• Dear, I.C.B.; M.R.D. Foot (2002).The Oxford Companion to World War II. Oxford University Press.ISBN 0-19-860446-7.
• Pekkanen, Robert (2006).Japan's Dual Civil Society. Members without advocates. Stanford University Press.ISBN 0-8047-5429-2.
• Schwartz, Frank J;Susan J Pharr (2003).The State of Civil Society in Japan. Cambridge University Press.ISBN 0-521-53462-3.

• Japan in World War II
• Government of the Empire of Japan
• Civil defense
• Political repression in Japan
• Government agencies of Japan
• Japanese historical terms
• Paramilitary organizations based in Japan
• Civilians in war
• Japan campaign

• CS1 errors: missing periodical
• Use dmy dates from September 2017
• Articles containing Japanese-language text