March 7, 1888

Kyushu, JAPAN - Before now, Japan has for a long time remained an isolated and agriculturally based nation, but today we have modernized and can finally compete with the west, mainly as a result of the zaibatsu. The zaibatsu, specifically the Mitsui house, allows for quick economic improvement and modernization, because of the wide variety of branches and easily mass-produced products. Mitsui house now dominates the major banking, trading, and mining interests of our nation. They are also continuing to develop other companies within the house that include, cement, commerce, construction, finance and insurance, food, machinery, mining, real estate, and shipping industries (1).

Several days ago the first step towards the "Mitsui Mining Company" was taken, with the Mitsui house's head, Masuda Takashi's, recent purchase of the Miike Coal from the government (2). Takashi recently replaced former leader, Minomura, after his death about one year ago (3). The new "Mitsui Mining Company's" foundation hopes for the later production of domestic coal, coke and cement, though first beginning with coal (4). With this new addition, the Mitsui house is on its way towards becoming the largest zaibatsu combine. This move towards a creating a new branch within the Mitsui House, specifically mining, is a result of the "recently organized Mitsui Trading Company" plan to "market all coal from the government's rich Miike Mines" (5). The overall goal and driving force towards this new hope, is to enrich economy and in doing so, our nation. But we also must stop and think of what price we may have to pay to meet this new dream.

The purchase of the Miike Mines will allow more coal to be sent overseas and distributed to other countries via trade, specifically by the Mitsui Trading Company. But some still seem to question the general idea of the zaibatsu. The Mitsui house originated from the Mitsui dry goods establishment and has now beginning to grow into one of the largest of Japan's conglomerates (5). Now, still receiving occasional favors from the government (6), the Mitsui house has now expanded so large that it is running various people into unemployment. It has become so large that many farmers and other agricultural related occupations cannot keep up, and become unable to support their families. Some argue that "this purchase will only hurt us as a nation, for as more of these conglomerates form, the more we lose track of our family values and loyalty" (7). In addition to this, some farmers to lose faith in the government's actions to quickly improve the economy, for "it is a great mistake to cast the family business aside, and neglect their own family affairs" (8), says Sumito Tanaka, a rice patty farmer.

Contrary to this idea however, the majority seemed to believe that we must "consider government service as a first duty" (9), as said by Oshito Kanawa, a representative from the Mitsui house. He also stated that the "purchase of the Miike Mines was a necessary step, and that as a whole, the Mitsui combine, is a sacrifice that is needed to modernize Japan" (10).

This expansion of the Mitsui house has opened the door for controversy within our nation. It has caused concern for something that was meant to only improve Japan, and the Mitsui zaibatsu. The purchase was intended to allow more money to be brought back to Japan by selling the coal domestically and eventually trading overseas (11), turning the Miike coal into so called "Mitsui Gold" (12), as representatives from the Mitsui house have stated. They say that they have and will continue to reassure our nation that the "zaibatsu cooperation with the government is strictly intended to improve the nation, as well as improve themselves as a private business at the same time" (13).

Sources:

1. Encyclopedia Brittanica Online, 2001 ed., s.v. "Mitsui Group".

2. McClain, James L., A Modern History, Japan (New York: W.W. Norton and Company), 231-233.

3. Ibid., 232.

4. Encyclopedia Brittanica

5. McClain, 232.

6. Ibid., 231.

7. Ibid., 232.

8. Jansen, Manus B., The Making of Modern Japan (Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2000), 171.

9. Ibid., 171.

10. McClain, 231-233.

11. Encyclopedia Brittanica

12. McClain, 232.

13. World Book Encyclopedia, 2000 ed., s.v. "Meiji Era," by Gary D. Allinson.

Images:

1. "University of California, Riverside: California Museum of Photography," [http://www.cmp.ucr.edu/exhibitions/asia/japan.intro.html], 31 January 2002.

2. Ibid.