Vol. 73, No.1

Tomohiko TAKAYANAG
Resource control in a regional society: a case study of Atami spa during the interwar period

This paper studies the historical changes in Atami hot springs during the interwar period and regional society’s response to changes in natural conditions of the spa, increase in users, and preservation of the hot springs, which are a renewable resource. It also focuses on the hot-springs policy of the local government, which acted as the regulating authority.

Regulation of Atami’s hot springs, which were organized under the property ward, became urgent due to a surge in the number of users and depletion of the hot springs. The town government assumed joint control and became solely responsible for management of the central hot springs, in addition to conducting exclusive development to increase the volume of spring water, and simultaneously handling allocation of the water.

Three points are discussed regarding the functions of these town-owned hot springs. First, wasteful usage of the springs was eliminated, and efficient usage enabled. Second, by avoiding usage risks, usage of the springs was stabilized. Third, by realizing "open springs usage," it became possible for many residents to make use of the springs. With regard to the Atami hot springs, the regional community adjusted its use of the town-owned hot springs within the context of administrative policies and regulations, and, through efficient use of the limited resource, subsequent development was made possible.

Kensuke HIRAI
The sugar trade in East Asia and Taiwan, 1900-1920s

The purpose of this article is to examine the relationship between East Asia and Taiwan in the sugar trade during the period between 1900 and the 1920s.

The following two points are elucidated. First, although the Taiwanese sugar industry was entirely under Japanese colonial rule, it depended on the East Asian market. As a result of changes in the East Asian sugar market during World War I, control of the market by Japanese merchants increased in the area. They imported Javanese sugar to Japan in surplus, which made the Japanese sugar market unfavorable for Taiwanese sugar.

Second, the response of the Taiwanese sugar industry to this unfavorable situation was to increase production to reduce costs, which in turn influenced the East Asian market. On the one hand, oversupply of Taiwanese sugar resulted in the reduction of the export price of Japanese refined sugar. On the other hand, it made the import of Javanese sugar to Japan difficult. Therefore, some of the sugar due to the Japanese market had to be resold in other regions at a loss. The resulting situation indicates that Taiwanese sugar played an important role in increasing sugar consumption in the East Asian market.

Hirotaka NAKAYA
The Washington Anglo-American Coal Conference in 1947 and the establishment of the Ruhr coal industry control system

The aim of this article is to analyze the Washington Anglo-American Coal Conference, which was the beginning of the process of returning economic sovereignty to the Germans after World War II. This process was important for both the postwar reconstruction and integration of Europe.

In the first section, the plan for a new Ruhr coal industry control system, drawn up by General Lucius CLAY, commander in chief of OMGUS, is analyzed. A core element of this plan was to create the U.K.-U.S. Coal Control Group (CCG) and Deutsche Kohlenbergbauleitung (DKBL). The creation of DKBL meant especially that the right of management would be returned to the Germans. Additionally, pre-Coal Conference consultations between the British and the Americans to ensure the implementation of CLAY's plan are also examined.

In the second section, the Washington Coal Conference in August and September 1947 is analyzed, and the conflicts and reconciliation between the United Kingdom and the United States are examined. The United Kingdom managed to avoid severe criticism of its mistakes in occupation policy, while the United States was able to involve itself in industry policies of the Ruhr area.

Eventually, the new Ruhr coal industry control system started in November 1947, and the establishment of CCG-DKBL as an indirect control system was the first step toward the return of economic sovereignty to the Germans after World War II.

Makoto SAKAGUCHI
Fertilizer distribution and the central wholesale merchant in Tokyo, 1908-1918

The purpose of this article is to clarify the distribution of fertilizers in the Tokyo market from 1908 to 1918, from the records of the Tokyo branch of Okumura Kazo, a central wholesale fertilizer merchant company in Tokyo city.

During this period, this branch stocked various types of fertilizers, such as fish, imported bean cake, and chemical fertilizers, for distribution over a wide area in eastern Japan, mainly in the Kanto district. As direct fish distribution between fish manure manufacturers and local wholesale merchants increased, the Tokyo branch of Okumura Kazo shifted its focus from fish to imported bean cake and chemical fertilizers. This branch became an exclusive agent of Osaka Alkali, a new entry producer of superphosphates, and organized local wholesale merchants in eastern Japan as special agents for this company’s products. It also started small-scale direct trade in fish wholesale to local markets by using railway transportation. These findings indicate that there was a dynamic change in fertilizer distribution not only in the local markets but also in the central wholesale market during this period, and the role and function of central wholesale merchants underwent major changes as well.