The Movement against Smoke Pollution in Kosaka Copper Mine : 1907-1917

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Other Title
  • 小坂鉱山煙害問題と反対運動 : 一九〇一〜一七年
  • 小坂鉱山煙害問題と反対運動--1901～17年
  • コサカ コウザン エンガイ モンダイ ト ハンタイ ウンドウ 1901 17ネ

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This paper attempts to clarify the Kosaka Copper Mine Pollution Problem between 1901 and 1917 by analyzing the parties concerned-the mine company(Fujita, one of the five largest Japanese copper companies), government authorities, and the local government and regional inhabitants, who were at Kazuno and Kita-Akita District in Akita Prefecture-and the internal structure of the movement against smoke pollution. The Kosaka Silver Mine which Fujita managed since 1884 faced a crisis of closing, but it succeeded in the Pyritic Smelting of copper in 1900 after a lot of hard work. The subsequent development of the mine caused smoke pollution, which damaged crops, forest land and the human body. As it was technologically impossible to prevent damage from smoke in that day, the mine company compensated the stricken inhabitants for the loss. But it was only a small sum. Moreover, the mine could weaken the opposition movement and disregard the damages to national forests through governmental policy. Government authorities and the local government adopted a stance not only of being unconcerned about the matter, but of regarding the mine as most important. They gave priority to the development of the copper mining industry rather than to the basic settlement of air pollution from smoke. The opposition movement proceeded under the leadership of landlords and independent farmers. Tne movement, however, was greatly influenced by the regional structure in which the mine was the center of the community. In addition, there was a political dispute in the prefectural assembly where some leaders of the movement had seats. And all of the damaged inhabitants did not take joint action. Though these internal and external factors led the movement to a loss of power, the prevention of injury from smoke remainded unsolved. This caused the smoke pollution problem to recur in the 1920s.

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