Reclaiming the national frontier
Whereas the Japanese government was yet hesitant to claim Yaeyama as the integral part of the Japanese territory, a significant number of settlers had been arriving in the islands since the 1880s. Many of these new immigrants began their own businesses, but some Japanese entrepreneurs rose to the challenge of undertaking land reclamation in Yaeyama. Among these endeavors, Nakagawa Toranosuke's project was the first and foremost development project conducted in the region.
Nakagawa Toranosuke was born into a well-established sugar manufacturing family in Tokushima Prefecture. The prefecture had been famous for its during the Edo period, and Nakagawa's family was also celebrated for its traditional technology of producing quality white sugar.
However, since a large quantity of good but cheaper sugar was imported from overseas in the 1860s, the domestic sugar industry, including Tokushima's manufactures, fell into decline. Nakagawa attempted to get through the crisis by conducting modern agriculture and industry in the new frontier of Japan.
In March 1881, Nakagawa attended the Second Industrial Promotion Exhibition in Tokyo and noticed the good quality of Okinawan sugarcane. Attracted by the bigger sugarcane, Nakagawa visited the main island of Okinawa and Ishigaki Island with a plan to develop a sugar industry in Yaeyama in 1882.
Attracted by the bigger sugarcane, Nakagawa visited the main island of Okinawa and Ishigaki Island with a plan to develop a sugar industry in Yaeyama.