The Meiji government has rich country strong soldiers with the goal of being on par with other countries. At the same time, the government will take the initiative in promoting domestic industrial development policies.
In Japanese history, this is shokusan kogyo Is called.
Government-owned business by the breeding industry
This shokusan kogyo In order to promote this, the introduction of new technologies modeled on other countries and the protection and recommendation of domestic industries were thoroughly carried out. 1870 , Ministry of Industry as the central organization of the breeding industry promotion policy To install. The Ministry of Industry and other mines, steelworks, and shipyards inherited from the former Shogunate were operated as government-owned businesses.
In particular, the government, which was aiming for a wealthy soldier, was military industry . I continued to focus on.
In addition, railway installation and transportation / communication infrastructure such as telegraph / mail The modernization of is also being promoted. Notably, the 1871 government-owned postal system Has been maintained.
In the field of transportation infrastructure, foreign steamship companies have been controlling the coastal routes since the end of the Edo period. Therefore, the government Yataro Iwasaki in order to take control of the coastal waters and coasts and carry out military transportation in the event of an emergency. Mitsubishi run by Gave generous protection to the shipping industry.
Since then, Mitsubishi has solidified its leading position in the Japanese shipping industry, owning government-owned coal mines and shipyards, and Mitsubishi zaibatsu . Will be formed.
Mercantilism policy promoted by the Ministry of Interior
While the Ministry of Industry promoted the breeding industry, the Ministry of Interior was in charge of encouraging and protecting and nurturing the people.
Toshimichi Okubo, who has seen the actual situation in other countries at the Iwakura Mission, founded the Ministry of Home Affairs after returning to Japan and himself Lord of Home Affairs (Minister) . I will work hard as. Okubo said that the prosperity of Britain was a mercantilist policy * that had been promoted under an absolute monarchy. Considering that there is domestic development in Japan, the Ministry of Home Affairs was set as the highest power of the government, and the policy of Britain was used as an example.
* Mercantilism policy is an economic policy that aims to increase the wealth of the country by accumulating money through trade etc.
Okubo is Sir Koubu ( Minister ) Hirobumi Ito In collaboration with Tomioka Thread Mill and Aichi Spinning Mill We will build a government-owned factory. At that time, raw silk was one of the largest export items, and the government-owned factory had the purpose of incorporating the latest Western technology into the mechanization of the silk industry and passing on the production technology to the private sector.
The Tomioka Thread Mill, which was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2014, will introduce 300 French-made machines and start operations in 1897. At the same time, we invited a French engineer to teach a Japanese female worker the technique of mechanical silk reeling. Many of the women are related to the samurai, [ Tomioka Kojo ], And played a major role in transmitting technology at silk mills nationwide.
The government has also focused on modernizing agriculture and livestock farming.
1867 , Sapporo Agricultural College in Hokkaido In addition to conducting research on modern agriculture, development of Hokkaido Will also embark on a full-scale basis. Development of Hokkaido and security against Russia Tuntian soldiers to do Introduced Settlement in Hokkaido centered on the Tohoku region I was allowed to.
In addition, Capron and Clark from the United States American-style large farm system know-how I learned.
These cutting-edge technologies from other countries are available at the National Industrial Exhibition hosted by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Will touch many people. 1877 , The 1st National Industrial Exhibition held in Ueno Then, it was a great success with more than 80,000 exhibits and more than 450,000 visitors.
This exposition, which made a great contribution to industry and culture, was the driving force behind the government's promotion of the breeding industry.