Historical Museum of Hokkaido / Theme 6 / From Recession to World War II

Transport of Timber with Sleigh (panorama)

【１】The theme of this room is "From Recession to World War II"--the history of Hokkaido from 1918 to 1945. Immigration and development in Hokkaido reached their peaks during the prosperity accompanying World War I, but slowed during the recession that followed the war, prompting the Hokkaido government to implement a new colonization plan.

【２】The time of prosperity had brought new industries to the island, and, in 1918, an exposition was held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the beginning of settlement, further stimulating economic activity. Banks and businesses from Honshu began operations in such cities as Hakodate, Otaru, and Sapporo. Those cities, as a result, were rapidly modernized with street cars, department stores, restaurants and theaters. New lifestyles suitable to Hokkaido's climate and environment were created by the settlers, thus supplementing the traditions brought from their original homes. Better insulated clothing, heating stoves, and improved construction all contributed to the new age in the north.

Coal Mine (panorama)

Poster Supporting General Strike in Otaru

"Karafutomaru" (model)

Poster Soliciting Items Made of Iron and Copper
Nemuro Razed to the Ground

【３】With the postwar recession, however, came steep rises in prices, company bankruptcies, and increased unemployment. In difficult times, the government was forced to step in and redirect Hokkaido's industrial development. There was renewed emphasis on dairy farming; new coal mining methods were introduced; and fishing grounds were expanded farther offshore and into the North Pacific. Meanwhile, the Maintenance of Public Order Act allowed authorities to crack down on active social movements that had been growing in the 1910's and '20's.

【４】Added to the effects of a worldwide depression starting in 1929, a series of floods and poor harvests in Hokkaido brought shortages of food, poverty, and new social problems.

【５】At the same time, Japan invaded China, beginning a 15-year period of war that would spread through southern Asia and engulf the entire Pacific region. The war caused a shortage of labor as well as daily goods. To meet the need for workers, Koreans and Chinese were forcibly brought to Hokkaido as laborers. In July, 1945, coastal areas of Hokkaido were bombed from the air and shelled from the sea. Following the dropping of the two atomic bombs, and the Soviet Union's entry into the war against Japan, World War II--the Pacific War--came to an end on August 15, 1945.