ON THE REVALUATION OF ROAD DEVELOPMENT IN THE MEIJI ERA —REALITY OF THE ERA OF ‘RAILROAD PRIORITY POLICY’—

Abstract

 This study examines the progress of institutional development related to roads and railways during the Meiji era (1868-1912), the changes in ideas regarding transport means by transport companies and the military, and the progress of road development by the national and local governments, which are often underestimated. An attempt was made to reevaluate road development during the Meiji era. As a result, while the importance of road maintenance had been recognized by high-level policy makers since the early Meiji era, the road development budget was under pressure. The background of retarded legislation of the Road Law was that there was resistance from the financial authorities and that there was a problem with the authority to register the road. The main role of long-distance freight transportation shifted from roads to railways from the mid-Meiji era, and military logistics transportation also shifted from roads to railways from the mid-Meiji era. However, it was found that the development of railways created a demand for arterial roads, and in response, even in the latter half of Meiji era, local governments were active in arterial roads development.