Bonin Islands  Source  Whalesite

      But in spite of all setbacks, the Japanese permanent occupation of the isiands was bound to come at last, and from the second year of Meiji (1869), after the more urgent problems of the Restoration had been settled, the question of the Islande began again to arouse attention. It was not however until the end of the year 1873 that on the proposai of Iwakura Temorui, the Minister of the Right, instructions were issued to the Departments of Foreign Affairs, the Navy, and Finance, to submit reports on the Island with their counsel as to how they should be dealt with. Mr. Yamada has given us an interesting letter accompanying the report from his Department sent in by the present Marquis Okuma, who was then the Minister of Finance. It runs as follows: —

      "Ogasawara, so far as its area of land is concerned, may be compared to a bullet or a mole. It cannot be peopled largely; it is too small to yield much natural produce. Its possession therefore would confer little benefit on Japan, nor would her non-possession of it be any material loss. Seeing, however, that the Islands were discovered by Ogasawara Sadayori in the second year of Bunroku (1593), and that in Japanese and foreign books of geography they are attributed to Japan, it would be a great pity if Japan for no reason were to forfeit the possession of them.

      "Now, of late I hear that an American named Pease has set up a flag and claims the Island to be his. No less a persan, however, than Commodore Perry, in his published report of his Mission to Japan, has stated that he regards the Islands as belonging to Japan. A reference corroborating this is also to be found in a letter submitted to our Goverument by the American Minister, Mr. Harris, on December l9th, 1861. Moreover in the periad of Bunkyu between 1861 and 1863 the Japanese Government carried out colonisation works without evoking any protest from other Governments. If the Japanese Government, however, fails at this juncture to take any action, and connives at Pease's claim to be the master of the islands, Japan runs risk of forfeiting her rights to the islands, as rulings of International law — (I would refer you to the accompanying documents) — will go to show. If, on the other hand, the Japanese Government loses no time ln reasserting Japan's ownership of the islands, her claim to the islands may be fully maintained. It is possible that Pease may enter a counter protest, but according to French Civil law — (see again accompanying documents) — the property of one who has disappeared be restored to him on his reappearance, or on a definite knowledge being ascertained of his whereabouts. Morcover, Japan's ownership of the islands being irrefutable, there should be no trouble. However, seeing that Pease's possession of the Islands is only a rumour of the London Press, and that no Japanese has any personal knowledge of it, I think that in order to satisfy ourseives as to the facts, a mission of inquiry should be sent to the islands as soon as the Cabinet can come to a decision on the matter.

To H.E. SANJO SANEYOSHI, Premier.

      It is in the above letter, as we see, written in 1873, when he was Minisier o' Finance, that Marquis Okuma states, as if it was an unquestioned fact, that Sadayori Ogasawara discovered the Bonin Islands in 1593. But if the same records which were open to Mr. Yamada to study in 1915 were as freely open to Mr. Okuma to study in the year 1873, we cannot help asking how he came to treat as historical fact what in those very records has been stamped as an imposture, and why he should not have been content to date the islands discovery from the year 1670: for in the graphic story of the vessel that drifted in that year to the islands and of the events that followed we seem, here at any rate, to be taking our stand on flrm historical ground. The only explanation we can find to give is, that right up to the Meiji period there had been no recognised name for the Islands other than "Muninto." But this name carried on the face of it confession that the Islands had been left uninhabited, and was a stigma, and an argument in favour of the claims of other than Japanese settlers upon them, that it was of importance to remove. Therefore, in order that the islands might have a dignifled Japanese name of no modern creation, the account of their discovery by Ogasawara Sadayori was now too useful to be set acide as a fiction, and the Mr. Okuma of that time made no weak scruples about accepting it.

      With regard to the American Pease who was reported to have taken possession of the Island and hoisted the American flag, seeing that his knowledge of the affair was confessedly derived only from the "London Press," whatevet that might mean, it is matter for surprise that Mr. Okuma should be found treating it so seriously. But his readiness to believe the report, and to tender counsel to the head of his Government in accordance with it, may be attributed to his desire so to represent the situation on the islands as to make it appear of importance that Japan should lose no time in sending an expedition there.

      Nevertheless the man Pease had a very real existence. His full name was Benjamin Pease. a notorious oharacter in ccnnection with the Bonin Islands, and who first appeared there in a brig called the Pioneer, of which he was the reputed owner in the year 1869. He was a must unscrupulous man — one of your gentlemanly cloaked villains — ano had a bitter hatred for Nathaniel Savory and his family, and, when old Savory had retired from ail active part in the directing of the island affairs and was now fast approaching his end. Benjamin Pease was doubtless becoming more dangerously troublesome. But he had no party to back him among the settlers, and with all his bragging and threats could never have made himself Head of the islands. In fact the islands were getting too hot to hold him, and in October 1874 he suadenly disappeared, having been murdered, so the general belief was, by a black man called Spenser.

      The decision come to by the Government, after these reports had been duly submitted, was that the Islands should be definitely taken over, and, for the carrying out of this purpose. a Commission was appointed in the eighth year of Meiji (1875), consisting Of Tanabe Yaichi, an official of the Foreign Office: Hayashi Seimei, an official of the Customs; Obana Sakusuke, of the Geographical Department, and Nezu Seikichi, a First Lieutenant. From this point onwards Mr. Yamada is very brief in his detailing of events, and we should advise any one who would like to know how the annexation was effected to read the very interesting account given of it in Mr. Cholmondeley's work.

      In November of the same year, that is, in 1875 — this is Mr. Yamada's account — the party left Yokohama by the Meiji-maru, and aftér four days cast anchor in the port of Futami. Immediately they summoned the inhabitants of the Island aboard the ship and instructed them with regard to Japan's resumption of the administration of the islands. At the time there were on the Island seventy-one foreign settlers. thirty-seven men and thirty-four women — occupying in all fourteen houses. These were willingly obedient to the Japanese officers and readily swore allegiance to Japanese rule. The party then proceeded on a visit of inspection to the South Island, Hahajima, and leaving there on December 12th arrived back in Japan on the l6th.

      It was stated in the report, submitted to the Government on their return, that the man Pease proved to have been an iniquitous scoundrel, who had subjected the islanders to his torturing despotism, but that he had mysteriouslv disappeared in October and had not been heard or since.

      Tanabe and others of the party framed detailed plans for the colonisation of the Islands, but they were not accepted by the Government on the ground that theY were premature.

      In the ninth year of Meiji, 1876, the Government decided to place the affairs of Ogasawarajima, with a separate office established for the purpose, under the jurisdiction of the Home Department. A branch office at the same time was established on Ogasawarajima of which Obana Sakasuke was put in charge. He and his suhordinates left for the islands the same year. Emigration was encouraged, and the number of emigrants gradually increased.

      In the thirteenth year of Meiji (1880), Ogasawara, together with the seven islands of Izu, was placed within the jurisdiction of the Tokyo-fu. In August of this year Minami Sadasuke was appointed head of the office on Ogasawara. In the nineteenth year of Meiji (1886), Ogasawarajima was placed directly under is own Governor, and Tachiki Kaneyoshi, who was then in charge of the office, was given the appointment. He was succeeded in the following year by Onoda Genki, a Chief of the Police. Since then, the administrative organs have greatly improved in efficiency and there has been a corresponding development of the island's industries.

      Here we may take leave of Mr. Yamada, who goes on to supply information further about the Sulphur Islands and their history, but these Islands are of too little importance, and the information too fragmentary, to make it of interest to the general reader.

"History of the Bonins: Japanese Occupation and Administration (Concluding Article)."
      The Japan Chronicle.
O.S. No. 1053 / N.S. No. 817 (August 30, 1917)
pp.306-308.

Bonin Islands  Source  Whalesite