Agriculture in the Empire of Japan
Agriculture in the Empire of Japan was an important component of the pre-war
Historical development
Meiji period
After the end of the
This situation was worsened by the
In the early
The first agricultural cooperatives were established in 1900, after their creation was debated in the
Taishō period
The Imperial Agricultural Association (帝国農会, Teikoku Nokai) was a central organization for
This organization was of vital importance after nationwide markets were consolidated under government control in the aftermath of the
After the Rice Riots of 1918, many peasants came under the influence of the urban
Shōwa period
By the 1930s, the growth of the
With the growth of the wartime economy, the government recognized that landlordism was an impediment to increased agricultural productivity, and took steps to increase control over the rural sector through the formation of the Central Agricultural Association (中央農会, Chuo Nokai) in 1943, which was a compulsory organization under the wartime
Farming
Farmed land in 1937 was 14,940,000 acres (60,500 km2), which represented 15.8% of the total Japanese surface area, compared with 10,615,000 acres (42,960 km2) or 40% in Ohio (USA), or 12,881,000 acres (52,130 km2) or 21% in England. The proportion of farmed land rose from 11.8% in 1887 to 13.7% in 1902, and 14.4% in 1912 to 15.7% in 1919. This fell to 15.4% in 1929. There were 5,374,897 farmers at an average 2.67 acres (10,800 m2) per family, in comparison with any American farmer family with 155 acres (630,000 m2). These were larger in Hokkaidō and Karafuto and reduced by 2 acres (8,100 m2) in southwest area. The intense culture, fertilizers and scientific development, raised the yield to 43 bushels per acre (2.89 t/ha) in 1936.
In Japan there now is only 6,9% of farmed land.
Status per geographic region
Northern territories
The sparsely populated
Hokkaidō
Hokkaidō was a target area for agricultural development since the start of the Meiji period, with the establishment of the Hokkaidō colonization Office, and with the assistance of
Farmer households numbered 2,000,000 and the government mentioned the possibility to establish another 1,000,000.
Honshū
The farms were 3.5 to 4 acres (14,000 to 16,000 m2), for rice, potatoes, and rye. Northern Honshū produced 75% of
, etc.Shikoku & Kyūshū
Due to subtropical conditions, Shikoku and Kyūshū islands were dominated by traditional rice and sweet potato crops. Other important crops included
Ryūkyūs
The tropical
Taiwan
With a large ethnic Chinese population, agricultural methods and products in Taiwan were in the Chinese-style, with rice cultivation and sweet potatoes dominating. Cash crops included fruits and tea and jute & ramie. (The cultivated land was 2,116,174 acres (8,563.85 km2) at a density of 1,576 inhabitants per square mile in 1937.
The central government gave strong emphasis on development of the
The central government also placed strong emphasis on the development of forestry products. Camphor wood was collected from forests or plantations under a government-monopoly (the "Formosa Manufacturing Company" from 1899).
South Seas Mandate
The equatorial tropical conditions of the South Seas Mandate islands supported farming of coconuts, taro, sweet potatoes, tapioca, bananas, pineapples and rice, for local use and export. The sugar cane industry was given strong emphasis by the central government, with principal sugar in Saipan and Palau. However, the very limited cultivable land area of the South Seas Mandate meant that fishing and whaling remained more economically important.
Philippines
Prior to the Pacific War there was a small Japanese settlement in
See also
- Empire of Japan (foreign commerce and shipping)
References
Citations
This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2020) ) |
Sources
- Francks, Penny (2004). Rural Economic Development in Japan From the Nineteenth Century to the Pacific War. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-36807-3.
- Partner, Simon (2004). Toshié: A Story of Village Life in Twentieth-Century Japan. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-24097-9.
- Smitka, Michael (1998). Agricultural Growth and Japanese Economic Development. Japanese Economic History, 1600-1960. Vol. 7. New York: Garland. ISBN 0-8153-2711-0.
- Semple, Hellen C. "Influence of Geographical Conditions upon Japanese Agriculture", Geographical Journal XL, (1912), p. 589–607.
- Penrose, E. F. "Food Supply and Raw Materials in Japan", Chicago, Chicago University Press, (1929).
- King, F. H. "Farmers of Forty Centuries", New York, Ed Harcourt (1926)
- Orchard, Dorothy E. "Agrarian Problems of Modern Japan", Journal of Political Economy XXXVII, (1929), p. 129–149, 285–311.
- Hall, Robert Burnett." Agricultural Regions of Asia, Part VII, The Japanese Empire", Economic Geography, X,(1934), p. 323–347;X, (1935), p. 33–52, 130–147.
- Ladejinski, W. "Agrarian Unrest in Japan" Foreign Affairs XVI (1939), p. 426–433.
- Ladejinski, W. "Japan's Food Self-sufficiency", Foreign Agriculture, IV,(1940), p. 355–376.
- Dawson, O. L. & Ladejinski, W. "Recent Japanese Agricultural Policies", Foreign Agriculture III, (1939), p. 263–274.