ABSTRACT
In early 1872, with hopes of rousing the Meiji government to action, Vice Minister of Public Works (Ko¯busho¯ dayu¯) Yamao Yo¯zo¯ submitted a petition to the Central Chamber (Sei’in) regarding the promotion of Japan’s mining industries. The gist of his proposal was that mining was the basis of a ‘rich nation.’ Through the promotion of mining, the government could provide machinery to the people, build factories, and awaken the nation’s ‘spirit of large industry.’ Just in case the Chamber needed further persuasion, Yamao offered concrete economic incentives. He pointed to reports in the British press that the price of copper – an abundant commodity in Japan – had increased by more than 25 percent in the past few months.1 Within a few years of Yamao’s petition, the government was fully involved with the promotion of mining and metallurgy, opening mines and smelting facilities with the hope of exploiting Japan’s copper, silver, gold, and, of course, iron reserves.
