Japanese Salt
A history of nationalization, privatization, and regulation of Japanese salt.
Contents
History
Japan has few natural salt beds. Instead, small scale production used the agehama process. This involved artificial salt beds called nurihama. Sand from the nurihama is washed in water to create a brine, which is boiled to make salt. Required boiling twice, first to crystalize gypsum (aradaki) and again to crystalize salt (hondaki).
Large scale production was developed through irihama, channeled salt fields on which saltwater was evaporated. Salt was then collected by field labor.
It is only through trade in the 19th century that European boiling pans and more efficient boilers arrived.
The Japan Tobacco and Salt Public Corporation (日本専売公社, Nihon Senbai Kousha) was established in 1905 and granted a monopoly over both salt and tobacco. Formally, this was a tokushu houjin supervised by the monopoly bureau. By 1919 however, the goals of this state owned enterprise changed from profit to public interest. Salt in particular is a basic necessity, and price stability reinforced the authority of the national government.
During World War 2, due to shortages, a private salt system was temporarily established.
In 1949, the Japan Tobacco and Salt Public Corporation was reformed into a new tokushu gaisha, the Japan Tobacco and Salt Company.
In 1955, the irihama were replaced with the saikan process. Salt water was concentrated through boiling, then passed through sloping salt terraces that encouraged solar evaporation, then dripped over bamboo branches that encouraged wind evaporation, into collection channels.
The salt monopoly was abolished in 1997. Simultaneously, regulations were passed and the Salt Industry Center was established to ensure the public interest in salt production.