The student protest movement died down in the 1970s, but graduates returning to their rural homes nevertheless retained their idealism and turned their attention to improving their local communities. They hoped that the "hometown movement" could change the "Japanese spirit."
學運沉寂後，學生畢業返鄉，熱情卻未消減，轉化成深耕故鄉的社會運動，希望藉著「故鄉運動」來改變「日本精神」。