A Study Of The Policy Of Sugar Industry In Okinawa Prefecture Under Japanese Colonial Rule (1879-1945)

Since Japan forcibly annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom and changed it into Okinawa prefecture in 1879,the sugar industry has also become an important entry point for Japan to implement its colonial assimilation policies in Okinawa.Considering the current situation that the granulated sugar market is being dumped by foreign sugar,Japan regards Okinawa as the bottom line of domestic sugar and implements the "Anti-dumping policy of sugar".At the same time,in order to consolidate the colonial rule in Okinawa,Japanese colonial authorities implements policies in a way of "Preserving the tradition and customs" and retaining the sugar physical tax system.It has formed a backward sugar industry economy based on the manual sugar production of farmers,and there is no separation between the planting of sugar cane and the production of sugar in Okinawa.This situation seriously hindered the modernization of Okinawa’s economy and made Okinawa’s development extremely dependent on the sugar industry.During the late Meiji era,Japan has changed its sugar industry policy,focusing its development on the new colonial Taiwan and imposed heavy taxes on domestic sugar to supplement its military expenses.Although Okinawa began to develop the industry of centrifugal sugar by Sugar Improvement Authority,it could not changed the economic imbalance caused by sugar industry.With the outbreak of World War I in 1914,the sugar prices of the world soared and promoting Okinawa’s economic development.However,due to the post-war economic recession,it quickly fell into poverty and depression for more than ten consecutive years in Okinawa.In 1932,the Japanese government finally start a revitalization plan to save the unbalanced sugar economy,but most of the policies became nominal because of the war launched by Japan.Finally,Okinawa’s sugar industry collapsed under the wartime controlled economy.This paper will sort out the development history of Okinawa sugar industry from1879 to 1945,analyzing the characteristics of Japan’s colonial policy in Okinawa from the economic perspective,and answer why Okinawa under Japan’s rule could not escape the fate of poverty after Japan annexed Ryukyu in 1879.At the same time,this paper will also analyze the status and problems of Okinawa’s sugar industry in different periods,extend the focus of sugar industry research from Taiwan to Okinawa in the Japanese colonial period and further complement the understanding of Japan’s modern colonial policy.