Studies on sugar industry at Amami region [Kagoshima, Japan], 5: Transition of the sugar production-period from the Meiji restoration [occurred at 1866] to the promotion of sugar corporations

This paper is about the process of transition from the age of Meiji Restoration to the period when the establishment of manufacturing corporations was vigorously promoted in the Amami-islands. On the sugar industry at Amami-regions a few reports have been reported by the same author (I-IV). Hence this is a sort of continuation of those studies. A partial of consequence of this study is as in the following. It was due to food habit that the demand for sugar (mascovad) had been maintained to a certain degree until the liberalization of the import of crude sugar was performed. Among the staple food, sugar-cane differ from the rice in the point that the former belongs to a free crop. It is well-known that he paddy field has been quite scarce in Amami-region, adding to this, disasters occur frequently there. Therefore the range of choice of the crops for sale could not help becoming extremely narrow and restricted. As a natural consequence of this state of affairs, it was rather unwillingly that the cultivation of the sugar-cane which had a power of resistance against disaster was chosen by the farmers. However, the agricultural structure of those districts were transformed qualitatively by the promotion of sugar manufacturings, i.e., by the inevitable transformation of the agriculture brought forth through the integration of it by industrial corporations. The subject of the growing of sugar-cane and those of the manufacturing of them became separated, consequently the increasing of the growing area of sugar-canes and the forfeiture of the right of choosing the kind of cultivating crops out of the farmers occurred, extensively and simultaneously. Another side of this affair, namely, the vigorous promotion of the sugar manufacturing corporations was a matter carried out in accordance with the international and internal conditions (political, economical and so on) in those times