A River Deprived of Smoke and Poison: The Origins of Mining Poisoning and Environmental Destruction in the Meiji Era (1868-1912)

A River Deprived of Smoke and Poison: The Origins of Mining Poisoning and Environmental Destruction in the Meiji Era (1868-1912)

Under the Meiji government's policy of "industrialization and prosperity," mining development accelerated in many parts of Japan. At the Besshi Copper Mine in Ehime, sulfurous acid gas from smelting dried up the mountain, killing farmland and rivers. Although Sumitomo provided compensation, no fundamental measures were taken, and the suffering of the farmers continued. Even more serious was the Ashio Copper Mine poisoning incident. The mine, operated by Furukawa Mining Co., was contaminated by mineral poisons that flowed into the Watarase River and contaminated the downstream areas of Gunma and Saitama. Crops withered, residents rioted, and Shozo Tanaka resigned as a member of the Diet to appeal directly to the emperor. If the victims did not speak out, the government would do nothing. This pattern was repeated later with Minamata disease and Itai-itai disease. The origin of the "after-the-fact response" of Japan's environmental administration was already engraved in the Meij
i era. The cost of civilization ignoring the voice of nature was too great.