The Influence of Henry George's Ideas Upon Modern Japan

Abstract

the United States of America, were introduced into Japan as one of the European and American systems of social thought which were imported during the early days of the Meiji period. It was a few years after the publication of his Progress and Poverty (1879). In the twentieth year of Meiji (1887), the name of Henry George appeared in a Japanese periodical. Before entering into the matter, let us state briefly the social conditions of Japan in those days. The Meiji Restoration Government had a historical mission to abolish feudal systems and to promote rapid progress of capitalism in Japan. Abolishing the feudalistic possession of land, the government acknowledged private landownership. The sale, division, annexation, mortgage and tenancy of land were permitted. Consequently, private property in land became the sole means of capitalistic exploitation and fell into the hands of a small number of landowners. As the protection and aid of modern industries and modern preparedness for war, under the strong pressure of higher capitalism in foreign nations, made it necessary to solidify the financial basis of the country, the government, in 1873, revised the system of land taxation from the tax in kind (rice) in proportion to the annual yield to a 3 per cent tax in money on the assessed value of land. This revision of the land tax system, with the rapid progress of moneyeconomy, and especially with the unbalanced progress between urban and rural communities, facilitated the capitalization and concentration of land. The 0.5 per cent reduction in the land tax in 1877, and the inflation policy since the same year, favored the primitive accumulation of capital in the hands of landowners. The reduced amount was a gain to landowners, and an abnormal rise in the price of rice owing to the inflation of the currency added to the profits of landowners. On the other hand, the independent farmers got nothing from the re