Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to clarify the factual aspects and the formation process of the agricultural materials problem during wartime Japan. The main conclusions of this paper are as follows. Firstly, as agricultural materials were incorporated into the materials mobilization plan, their production was influenced by that of munitions. Secondly, due to wartime controls of agricultural materials, production became limited to certain major companies through industrial reorganization. This was observed not only in the manufacture of chemical fertilizers, but also in sectors with lower ratios of production concentration such as agricultural machinery, agricultural chemicals, seed production and local blacksmith workshops. Thirdly, there was great upheaval in the agricultural production in farms and villages since the control of agricultural materials had been done on an individual basis and there were fuel shortages. Finally, agricultural production using heavy manure had persisted until the latter stages of the war, although the internal structure had changed from the sale of fertilizer to self supplied manure. In addition, it is an observed fact that the mechanization of agriculture had advanced in spite of wartime fuel shortages. Also, joint use of agricultural equipment and cooperation spraying of the pesticide during wartime achieved a level of agricultural productivity that would be inherited after the war.
