Health Insurance Society and Female Workers

Focusing on Tomioka Silk Mill

Abstract

This study examines the role that health insurance societies in protecting the health of female workers in the Japanese silk industry through the case of Tomioka Silk Mill, founded in 1872. First, it clarifies the diseases and medical conditions at Tomioka Silk Mill from the turn of the 20th century to the 1930s. This confirms the historical shift in medical care for female workers at Tomioka Silk Mill before World War II. After World War II, Katakura Industries, Ltd., took over the Tomioka Silk Mill management, and the Tomioka branch of the Katakura Health Insurance Association was established. Second, this paper specifically examines the activities of the Katakura Health Insurance Society from 1947 to 1962. The findings revealed that the activities of the Katakura Health Insurance Society contributed significantly to the improvement of the mill’s working conditions for the health and hygiene of female employees. The case of Tomioka Silk Mill illustrates that the government’s intended purpose for the Health Insurance Law, promulgated in 1922, was finally fulfilled after World War II.