The special committee was organized in 1896 in order to examine and judge land disputes around the Rangsit Canal area. Under the lack of systematic land registration and conflict resolving system, land disputes were spreading all over the frontier delta region. The minister of agriculture made an effort to expand the responsibility of the committee, by letting the committee receive land suits outside the Rangsit area too. On the other hand, he designed a grand plan of map survey and title deeds issue in the whole disputing area. His efforts was, however, in vain mainly because of the low priority of agricultural policy by the king's government, and the ministry as well as the committee was abolished in 1897. The committee, which was of short duration of two years, achieved very little after all.

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There were, in the Tokugawa period, offices of interpreters called To-tsuji (Lit. Interpreters of Chinese). Within this category were two divisions; To-tuji To-kata (Interpreters of Chinese) and To-tsuji Shokoku-kata or Ikokutsuji (Interpreters of other Asian Languages). To-tsuji Shokoku-sata or Ikokutsuji included Tonkin-tsuji (Interpreters of Vietnamese), ..... The latter consisted of the Tonkin-tsuji (Interpretes of Vietnamese), Shamro-tsuji (Interpreters for Siamese), Mouru-tsuji (Interpreters of a language used in the Mughals) and Ruson-tsuji (Interpreters of a language used in Luzon under Spanish). This paper traces the history of the Ikoku-tsuji from its establishment to its abolition.
It must be pointed out that both divisions, namely To-tsuji Tokata and Ikoku-tsuji were theoretically equal in status, yet, in fact, the latter was regarded as lower than the former. This is clearly shown in the difference in their pay-scales. The discrepancy in their actual position resulted from the differnces in their business. The To-tsuji To-kata was much more important than the Ikoku-tsuji not only because of the fact that only one or two vesseles which came to Nagasaki were from countries other than China, but also, because the To-tsuji To-kata played at the same time the role of commercial agents having discretionary powers of foreign trade. On the other hand the Ikoku-tsuji were no more than interpreters. It should be also taken into account that the To-tsuji To-kata were either Chinese living in Nagasaki or their descendants so that they easily got on good terms with Chinese merchants coming to Nagaski for trade. On the contrary among the Ikoku-tsuji, only the Gi family held the office hereditarily.
As the number of vessels requiring Ikoku-tsuji dwindled, the work of the Ikoku-tsuji was gradually transfered to the sections of To-tsuji To-kata or Oranda Tsuji (Interpreters for Dutch). They held only the nominal position through hereditary until the last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The position of Ikoku-tsuji was, nevertheless, necesary to the Tokugawa Shogunate. Because of its policy of seclusion, the Shogunate had to be ready to receive and handle exclusively such vessels.
It is be worthy of special note that there were some Japanese who studied languages of South and Southeast Asia, wrote the books of vocabulary and conversation of these languages despite it being the age of seclusion.

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The Koizumi Seima Co. Ltd. was founded in 1889. It had its main factory in Kobe and manufactured gunny bags from jute fiber imported from East Bengal. In 1930's the Company ranked first in its production of gunny bags in Japaan. Due to the increase of military demand during the Sino-Japnese War, the Company was placed under the special controls of the Army and the Navy. After the outbreak of the Pacific War, it was authorized in August 1942 to expand its activities into Southeast Asia, first in Burma, then in Java.
a) In Burma, the Company was nominated as the agent for growing jute fibers. Owing to the lack of experience in the jute growing business, the Company employed two technicians to meet the demand. Upon their arrival at Rangoon, they were assigned to undertake the work of jute growing in the lower Irrawady delta as allocated by the Hesdquarters of the Military Administration. They distributed to the peasants the seeds which they brought from Japan. In 1944, the jute was harvested. It was spun and woven by peasants using primitive tools which they designed. The finished gunny bags were delivered to the Army suply base. From the latter half of that year, owing to the counter-attack of the Allied Forces they were forced to halt their business and to retire to Rangoon. In May 1945 they retreated to the border of Thailand where they heared of the Japanese surrender. Of eight members of the Company's team, two were lost in the course of retreat.
b) In Java, the Company was commissioned in July 1943 by the Headquarters of the Military Administration to run a jute mill and eight neighbouring jute estates which were located at Delanggu in Surakarta and had been run by a Dutch Company. The Company was under the supervision of the Sugar Industry Public Corporation since the produced gunny sacks were exclusively delivered to the Corporation for packing of sugar. The Coporation controlled the business of the Company and supplied the funds. In the meantime, the Company was, in addition, ordered to take care of two nearby tobacco estates From early 1944 the Company ran the business free from the control of the Sugar Industry Corporation. In the latter half of that year the Company was commissioned to produce cloth from jute fiber as a result of the acute shortage of cotton cloth. They managed to produce such cloth and fabricate men's short trousers using captured sewing machines which were in the hands of Military supply office and leased temporarly to the Company. These trouseres were delivered to the Substantial Material Supply Corporation.
After the Japanese surrender, they closed the offices and the mill. The Japanese employees went to the Japanese detainee's camp. However, in October 1945 a group of Indonesians headed by Soemarsono former clerk of the Company, appeared at the Jakarta Office and summoned the Company's representaive. Posing as representatives of the Ministy for Economic Development they demanded the surrender of all assets and properties of the Company to the newly born Republic of Indonesia. They also asked the representative of the Company to sign a paper prepared to that effect.
The members of the Company in Java, thirteen in all, returned to Japan early in the following year.

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