PEOPLE

Key people who became turning points in the promotion of the project

Amioka: Not only I, but also other staff, made efforts to organise and decipher the documents, but that is the spirit of loyalty to one’s company, especially since there is a limit to what you can ask from outsiders. For me, I think the fact that Renho-san, then Minister of State for Special Missions for Administrative Reform, visited the Yawata Steel Works and inspected the subject facilities. That was a turning point in that it spread the word to everyone that the government was serious about the project.

Kato: That's right. After that, Secretary General Izumi decided to visit the Nippon Steel Corporation headquarters and was accompanied by Mayor Kitahashi of Kitakyushu City and Mayor Takenori Noda of Kamaishi City.

Amioka: I also thought that it would be best if all three of them could come together, but their schedules matched perfectly. I don't think that was a coincidence.

Kato: Mayor Noda also played a significant role and is a crucial figure in why we were able to get on the rails of regulatory reform. At the time, the LDP government was moving to the DPJ government, and it was Mayor Noda who introduced me to Mr Tatsuo Hirano three days after he was appointed Deputy Minister of the Cabinet Office. Mr Hirano is from Iwate Prefecture, and on top of that, his life's work is iron. He was well-versed in the history of iron and had an extraordinary love for iron, so he worked extremely hard to make the Heritage of the Industrial Revolution a success. It was also Mr Hirano who spoke to Hiroto Izumi. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, and after Mr Hirano became Minister for Reconstruction and Minister of State for Special Missions, I was able to work together with Mr Izumi to promote the project.

Amioka: Ms Kato was able to move the project forward in a non-partisan manner, but I think everyone involved in the World Heritage Registration of Industrial Heritage project was motivated by a personal desire to do what they could for Japan. Whether it was Mr Izumi, Mayor Kitahashi or Mayor Noda, I feel that they gathered at the Tokyo Head Office that day simply with a genuine desire.

Kato: When Mr Amioka guided Minister Renho to visit Yawata, I felt the local people's enthusiastic anticipation building up as if to say, “Oh, history is about to move,” and I knew then that the dream of registering the area as a World Heritage Site would come true. It is very important that the local people are aware that they are carrying the history of more than a century on their shoulders.

Amioka: You are absolutely right. I have learnt that people's dignity becomes their passion and drives things forward.

Kato: Needless to say, I am grateful for the support of many people who helped me realise my aspirations. In particular, I would like to thank Mr Amioka for his support....... I would also like to thank Mr Takashi Imai, Chairman of the Nippon Kogyo Club, who serves as Honorary President of the National Congress of Industrial Heritage, and Mr Amioka for connecting us with JAPIC. He opened various doors for us. It may look as if I opened the doors, but in fact, it is not so. It is thanks to everyone who put the groundwork in place. I have learnt a lot as a human being from your broad-mindedness and kindness.

Amioka: I personally enjoyed it too. It is exciting to work towards a big goal, and it is not often that I get to go to the chairman or CEO and talk to them directly. In any case, I think it was an unforgettable experience.

The Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution Project changed the history of Japan.

Kato: I tend to only remember the many times I faced obstacles and felt discouraged and hopeless, but there were also times when I leaned forward and thought it was interesting. I remember when I started the registration campaign—before I started writing the nomination form—everyone was initially drawn to the theory of iron manufacture at the end of the Edo period. Many scholars said, "They must have been making iron in reverberatory furnaces", and that was also written in the school textbooks. People from the Ministry of Culture also learnt from textbooks, so they were caught up in the 'idealism' of the industrial heritage story itself. In the process, the Ministry of Education started saying that the Meiji period should be dropped. I found it quite delightful the moment when Mr Amioka and the Nippon Steel Alumni broke through that. After scientific analysis, they proved that the Japanese industrial history written in textbooks was actually wrong and successfully overturned the theory of steelmaking at the end of the Edo period. I felt the pride of a steelmaker from them.

Amioka: I didn't understand even half of it (laughs). I had my hands full as a coordinator.

Kato: Everyone was working in an aggressive manner.

Amioka They must have regretted it for a long time. Once something is written in a textbook, it often becomes an established fact, one after another.

Kato: The same is true of Ryotaro Shiba's books. However, he proved that it was scientifically different from the ground up. At the same time, the history of iron, which had been built up mainly by academics in the local authorities, was shattered, and the backlash came directly to me. I thought this was going to be quite a struggle, but when the time came to write the recommendation, it was settled already, so I did it with an "eiya!" (Japanese phrase for showing enthusiasm). No one thinks that what is written in textbooks is wrong, so it was natural that there would be friction.

Amioka: The same is true for the fact that everyone was convinced that Yawata was the birthplace of iron.

Kato: There were theories that the reverberatory furnaces in Saga might have led directly to Yawata, which is unthinkable nowadays. In the beginning, we did not know enough about it either, so we thought, “Really?”　(laughs).

Amioka: Even though it was written in textbooks that there was an urgent need to make cannons in Japan at the end of the Edo period, there was a lack of perspective on the fact that iron manufacturing using iron sand was not necessarily suited to industrial manufacturing until then. But that is a very important point, isn't it? I heard that the Hashino Iron Mine in Iwate was the focus of attention when ironmaking technology was required to manufacture products for modernisation.

Kato That's right. Furthermore, in Kamaishi, the Tatara method, where iron was extracted by breaking the blast furnace, was successfully converted to the blast furnace method, where pig iron could be made continuously, enabling mass production of high-quality iron suitable for manufacturing, and Japan took the first step towards modernisation. Naturally, the story would not add up if something important is left out, which is why the story would be unnatural, such as the development of the Armstrong cannon in Saga. But that is merely a legend or wishful thinking. There was an ongoing beautification of craftsmanship in the Edo period, with the Ministry of Education and the Agency for Cultural Affairs under the delusion that everything had been completed in Edo.

Amioka: By including Kamaishi in the history of the city, a historical connection has been made, and the differences between iron and steel, reverberatory furnaces and blast furnaces have also become more apparent. In other words, the Heritage of Industrial Revolution project changed history.

Kato: The reason why Japan became an industrial country is because of its technological capability to mass-produce steel in a country where resources are scarce. More specifically, it was the result of the Japanese mentality of intelligence, diligence, ambition, and passion.

Amioka: Furthermore, I often say that the Industrial Revolution in Japan is an ongoing process. My theory is that it is not a 'world cultural heritage' but a 'world evolutionary heritage'. Even today, Yawata is the world's most advanced iron ore production site, where robots and other equipment are being built. The Higashida area has entered the Super City concept. It is beginning to move as a future creative city, where cutting-edge demonstration projects in areas such as energy and IT are being developed.

Kato: That is wonderful.

Amioka: Of course, we want to fulfil our role as a world heritage site, but what we place great importance on is attracting the younger generation. We want them to feel the makers' spirit that lives on in Yawata and pass on the genes of the revolution to the next generation. We want the World Heritage Site to be a valuable opportunity for everyone who bears the weight of the future. Today, I look back on the steps we have taken to actualise a World Heritage Site and think that a lot has happened, but what is important is what is to come. I look forward to your continued support.

Photo (All) : Nippon Steel Corporation Kyushu Works/ Yawata Area