Karafuto Prefecture
Encyclopedia
, commonly called South Sakhalin, was the Japanese
administrative division corresponding to Japanese territory on Sakhalin
from 1905 to 1945. Through the Treaty of Portsmouth
, the portion of Sakhalin
south of 50°N
became a colony of Japan
in 1905. In 1907 the prefecture
of Karafuto was established, with its capital at Ōtomari (大泊, now Korsakov
) in 1905 and later Toyohara (豊原, now Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
) in 1907. In 1945, with the defeat of Japan
in World War II
, the Japanese administration in Karafuto ceased to function, and since 1951, the southern part of Sakhalin has been a part of Russia
.
settlement on Sakhalin dates to at least the Edo period
. Ōtomari was established in 1679, and cartographers of the Matsumae domain mapped the island, and named it “Kita-Ezo
”. Japanese cartographer and explorer Mamiya Rinzō
established that Sakhalin was an island through his discovery of what is now named Mamiya Strait in 1809. Japan unilaterally proclaimed sovereignty
over the whole island in 1845, but its claims were ignored by the Russian Empire
.
The 1855 Treaty of Shimoda
acknowledged that both Russia and Japan had joint rights of occupation to Sakhalin, without setting a definite territorial demarcation. As the island became settled in the 1860s and 1870s, this ambiguity led to increasing friction between settlers. Attempts by the Tokugawa shogunate
to purchase the entire island from the Russian Empire failed, and the new Meiji government was unable to negotiate a partition of the island into separate territories.
In the Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1875), Japan agreed to give up its claims on Sakhalin in exchange for undisputed ownership of the Kuril Islands
.
Sakhalin was invaded by Japan in the final stages of the Russo-Japanese War
of 1904–1905, but per the 1905 Treaty of Portsmouth
was allowed to retain only the southern portion of the island below the 50° N parallel. Russia retained the northern portion, although the Japanese were awarded favorable commercial rights, including fishing and mineral extraction rights in the north.
In 1907, Karafuto Prefecture was officially established, with the capital at Ōtomari. In 1908, the capital was relocated to Toyohara.
Following the Nikolaevsk Incident in 1920, Japan briefly seized the northern half of Sakhalin, and occupied it until the establishment of formal diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union
in 1925; however, Japan continued to maintain petroleum
and coal
concessions in northern Sakhalin until 1944.
In 1920, Karafuto was officially designated an external territory of Japan, and its administration and development came under the aegis of the Ministry of Colonial Affairs
.
In 1942, the status of Karafuto was upgraded to that of an "inner land
" (内地 naichi), making it an integral part of the Empire of Japan
.
invaded Karafuto. The Soviet attack on southern Karafuto started on 11 August 1945, a few days before the surrender of Japan
. The Soviet 56th Rifle Corps, part of the 16th Army
, consisting of the 79th Rifle Division, the 2nd Rifle Brigade, the 5th Rifle Brigade and the 214 Armored Brigade, attacked the Japanese 88th Infantry Division. Although the Soviet Red Army
outnumbered the Japanese by three to one, they advanced only slowly due to strong Japanese resistance. It was not until the 113th Rifle Brigade and the 365th Independent Naval Infantry Rifle Battalion from Sovetskaya Gavan
landed on Tōro
, a seashore village of western Karafuto on August 16 that the Soviets broke the Japanese defense line. Japanese resistance grew weaker after this landing. Actual fighting continued until August 21. From August 22 to August 23, most remaining Japanese units agreed to a ceasefire. The Soviets completed the conquest of Karafuto on 25 August 1945 by occupying the capital of Toyohara.
There were over 400,000 people living on Karafuto when the Soviet offensive began in early August 1945. Most were of Japanese or Korean extraction, though there was also a small White Russian
community as well as some Ainu indigenous tribes
. By the time of the ceasefire approximately 100,000 civilians had managed to escape to Hokkaidō
. The military government established by the Soviet Army banned the local press, confiscated cars and radio sets and imposed a curfew. Local managers and bureaucrats were made to aid Russian authorities in the process of reconstruction, before being deported to slave-labor camps, either on North Sakhalin or in Siberia
. In schools, courses in Marxism-Leninism
were introduced, and Japanese children were obliged to sing songs in praise of Stalin
.
Step by step Karafuto lost its Japanese identity. South Sakhalin Oblast
was created in February 1946, and by March all towns, villages and streets were re-named with Russian
names. More and more colonists began to arrive from mainland Russia, with whom the Japanese were obliged to share the limited stock of housing. In October 1946 the Soviets began to repatriate all remaining Japanese. By 1950 most had been sent, willing or not, to Hokkaidō, though they had to leave all of their possessions behind, including any currency they had, Russian or Japanese, so they arrived on the Japanese home islands
penniless and homeless. Today some keep alive the memory of their former home in the meetings of the Karafuto Renmei, an association for former Karafuto residents.
No final peace treaty has been signed between Japan and Russia, and the status of the neighboring Kuril Islands
remains disputed. Japan renounced its claims of sovereignty over southern Sakhalin in the Treaty of San Francisco
(1952), but did not formally acknowledge Russian sovereignty over it. Unlike Kuril Islands, however, the area is not disputed between the two nations, as they both acknowledge that Japan renounced its sovereignty claim.
, the Japanese administration in Karafuto ceased to function, and in 1951, at the Treaty of San Francisco
, Japan renounced its rights to Sakhalin. Since that time, the southern part of Sakhalin has been a part of Russia
.
(For subsequent history, see Sakhalin Oblast
.)
, forestry
and agriculture
, together with extraction of coal
and petroleum
. In terms of industry, the paper industry and the charcoal
production industry were well developed. Karafuto suffered from a labor shortage through most of its history, and tax incentives were provided to encourage immigration. During World War II, a large number of Koreans were also forcibly relocated to Karafuto.
An extensive railway network was constructed in Karafuto to support the extraction of natural resources. The maintained 682.6 kilometers of track in four main lines, and an additional 58.2 kilometers of track.
. The Colonization Bureau became the
in 1923 at which time Karafuto was officially designated an overseas territory of the Empire of Japan
.
When the Ministry of Colonial Affairs was absorbed into the new Ministry of Greater East Asia
in 1942, the administration of Karafuto was separated, and Karafuto became an integral part of the Japanese home islands.
As of 1945, Karafuto was divided into four subprefectures, which in turn were subdivided into 11 districts
, in turn divided into 41 municipalities
(one city
, 13 towns
, and 27 villages
)
Karafuto's largest city was Toyohara
. Other major cities included Esutoru
in the north central and Maoka
in the south central region.
The list below are the towns and the city of the prefecture. These in italics are the corresponding current Russian
names.
Esutoru Subprefecture (恵須取支庁)
Maoka Subprefecture (真岡支庁)
Shikuka Subprefecture (敷香支庁)
Toyohara Subprefecture (豊原支庁)
name comes from Ainu
Kamuy Kar Put Ya Mosir , which means "the island a god has created on the estuary (of Amur River)". It was formerly known as , meaning Northern Ezo
(Ezo is the former name for Hokkaidō
). When Japanese administered the prefecture, Karafuto usually meant Southern Sakhalin only. For convenience, the northern part of the island was sometimes called .
In Russian
, the entire island was named Sakhalin (Сахалин) or Saghalien. It is from Manchu
Sahaliyan Ula Angga Hada, meaning "peak of the mouth of Amur River". The southern part was simply called Yuzhny Sakhalin (Южный Сахалин, "South Sakhalin").
In Korean
, the name is Sahallin (사할린) or Hwataedo (화태도, 樺太島), with the latter name in use during Korea under Japanese rule
.
and the Pacific through the establishment of a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
, the Imperial Japanese Army
as part of its offensive contingency plans
to invade the Soviet Union
if it either became involved in the Pacific War
or collapsed due to the ongoing German invasion
, proposed the annexation of the remaining northern half of Sakhalin to Japan.
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
administrative division corresponding to Japanese territory on Sakhalin
Sakhalin
Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...
from 1905 to 1945. Through the Treaty of Portsmouth
Treaty of Portsmouth
The Treaty of Portsmouth formally ended the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War. It was signed on September 5, 1905 after negotiations at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine in the USA.-Negotiations:...
, the portion of Sakhalin
Sakhalin
Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...
south of 50°N
50th parallel north
The 50th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 50 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
became a colony of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1905. In 1907 the prefecture
Prefectures of Japan
The prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 subnational jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "circuit" , Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures , Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures . In Japanese, they are commonly referred to as...
of Karafuto was established, with its capital at Ōtomari (大泊, now Korsakov
Korsakov (town)
Korsakov is a town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia. It is the administrative center of Korsakovsky District. Population: 35,079 ; The town is located some south from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, at the southern end of Sakhalin Island, on the coast of the Salmon Cove in the Aniva Bay.-History:Little is known...
) in 1905 and later Toyohara (豊原, now Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
-Demographics:Most residents are ethnic Russians, but there also exists a sizable population of Koreans. Of the 43,000 Sakhalin Koreans, half are estimated to live in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, comprising roughly 12% of the city's population...
) in 1907. In 1945, with the defeat of Japan
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Japanese administration in Karafuto ceased to function, and since 1951, the southern part of Sakhalin has been a part of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
History
JapaneseJapanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
settlement on Sakhalin dates to at least the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
. Ōtomari was established in 1679, and cartographers of the Matsumae domain mapped the island, and named it “Kita-Ezo
Ezo
is a Japanese name which historically referred to the lands to the north of Japan. It was used in various senses, sometimes meaning the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō, and sometimes meaning lands and waters further north in the Sea of Okhotsk, like Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands...
”. Japanese cartographer and explorer Mamiya Rinzō
Mamiya Rinzō
was a Japanese explorer of the late Edo period.Mamiya was born in 1775 in Tsukuba District, Hitachi Province, in what is now Tsukubamirai, Ibaraki Prefecture. Later in his life he would become an undercover agent for the Tokugawa shogunate...
established that Sakhalin was an island through his discovery of what is now named Mamiya Strait in 1809. Japan unilaterally proclaimed sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
over the whole island in 1845, but its claims were ignored by the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
The 1855 Treaty of Shimoda
Treaty of Shimoda
The Treaty of Shimoda of 1855, formally Treaty of Commerce and Navigation between Japan and Russia , was signed between the Russian Vice-Admiral Euphimy Vasil'evich Putiatin and Toshiakira Kawaji of Japan in the city of Shimoda, Izu Province, Japan, on February 7, 1855...
acknowledged that both Russia and Japan had joint rights of occupation to Sakhalin, without setting a definite territorial demarcation. As the island became settled in the 1860s and 1870s, this ambiguity led to increasing friction between settlers. Attempts by the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
to purchase the entire island from the Russian Empire failed, and the new Meiji government was unable to negotiate a partition of the island into separate territories.
In the Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1875), Japan agreed to give up its claims on Sakhalin in exchange for undisputed ownership of the Kuril Islands
Kuril Islands
The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...
.
Sakhalin was invaded by Japan in the final stages of the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
of 1904–1905, but per the 1905 Treaty of Portsmouth
Treaty of Portsmouth
The Treaty of Portsmouth formally ended the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War. It was signed on September 5, 1905 after negotiations at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine in the USA.-Negotiations:...
was allowed to retain only the southern portion of the island below the 50° N parallel. Russia retained the northern portion, although the Japanese were awarded favorable commercial rights, including fishing and mineral extraction rights in the north.
In 1907, Karafuto Prefecture was officially established, with the capital at Ōtomari. In 1908, the capital was relocated to Toyohara.
Following the Nikolaevsk Incident in 1920, Japan briefly seized the northern half of Sakhalin, and occupied it until the establishment of formal diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1925; however, Japan continued to maintain petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
and coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
concessions in northern Sakhalin until 1944.
In 1920, Karafuto was officially designated an external territory of Japan, and its administration and development came under the aegis of the Ministry of Colonial Affairs
Ministry of Colonial Affairs
The was a cabinet-level ministry in the government of the Empire of Japan from 1923-1942.-History:The original Ministry of Colonial Affairs was the short-lived Hokkaidō Colonization Office, established in the early Meiji period by Prime Minister Kuroda Kiyotaka to protect Japan's sparely populated...
.
In 1942, the status of Karafuto was upgraded to that of an "inner land
Mainland Japan
is a term to distinguish the area of Japan from its outlying territories. It was an official term in the pre-war period, distinguishing Japan and the colonies in East Asia...
" (内地 naichi), making it an integral part of the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
.
Soviet invasion
In August 1945, after repudiating the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact, the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
invaded Karafuto. The Soviet attack on southern Karafuto started on 11 August 1945, a few days before the surrender of Japan
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
. The Soviet 56th Rifle Corps, part of the 16th Army
16th Army (Soviet Union)
The 16th Army was a Soviet field army active from 1940 to 1945.-First Formation, 16th Army:Before Operation Barbarossa, HQ 16th Army was formed in July 1940 in the Transbaikal Military District . General Lieutenant М. F. Лукин took command...
, consisting of the 79th Rifle Division, the 2nd Rifle Brigade, the 5th Rifle Brigade and the 214 Armored Brigade, attacked the Japanese 88th Infantry Division. Although the Soviet Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
outnumbered the Japanese by three to one, they advanced only slowly due to strong Japanese resistance. It was not until the 113th Rifle Brigade and the 365th Independent Naval Infantry Rifle Battalion from Sovetskaya Gavan
Sovetskaya Gavan
Sovetskaya Gavan is a town in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, and a port on the Strait of Tartary which connects the Sea of Okhotsk on the north with the Sea of Japan on the south. Population: 29,100 ; The name of the town is often informally abbreviated to "Sovgavan".-History:The bay on which...
landed on Tōro
Toro (Sakhalin)
Shakhtyorsk is a town in Uglegorsky District of Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, located on the western coast of Sakhalin Island, north-west of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Population: -History:...
, a seashore village of western Karafuto on August 16 that the Soviets broke the Japanese defense line. Japanese resistance grew weaker after this landing. Actual fighting continued until August 21. From August 22 to August 23, most remaining Japanese units agreed to a ceasefire. The Soviets completed the conquest of Karafuto on 25 August 1945 by occupying the capital of Toyohara.
Evacuation and legal flux
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
community as well as some Ainu indigenous tribes
Ainu people
The , also called Aynu, Aino , and in historical texts Ezo , are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin...
. By the time of the ceasefire approximately 100,000 civilians had managed to escape to Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
. The military government established by the Soviet Army banned the local press, confiscated cars and radio sets and imposed a curfew. Local managers and bureaucrats were made to aid Russian authorities in the process of reconstruction, before being deported to slave-labor camps, either on North Sakhalin or in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. In schools, courses in Marxism-Leninism
Marxism-Leninism
Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology, officially based upon the theories of Marxism and Vladimir Lenin, that promotes the development and creation of a international communist society through the leadership of a vanguard party over a revolutionary socialist state that represents a dictatorship...
were introduced, and Japanese children were obliged to sing songs in praise of Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
.
Step by step Karafuto lost its Japanese identity. South Sakhalin Oblast
Sakhalin Oblast
Sakhalin Oblast is a federal subject of Russia comprising the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.The oblast has an area of 87,100 km² and a population of 546,695...
was created in February 1946, and by March all towns, villages and streets were re-named with Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
names. More and more colonists began to arrive from mainland Russia, with whom the Japanese were obliged to share the limited stock of housing. In October 1946 the Soviets began to repatriate all remaining Japanese. By 1950 most had been sent, willing or not, to Hokkaidō, though they had to leave all of their possessions behind, including any currency they had, Russian or Japanese, so they arrived on the Japanese home islands
Japanese Archipelago
The , which forms the country of Japan, extends roughly from northeast to southwest along the northeastern coast of the Eurasia mainland, washing upon the northwestern shores of the Pacific Ocean...
penniless and homeless. Today some keep alive the memory of their former home in the meetings of the Karafuto Renmei, an association for former Karafuto residents.
No final peace treaty has been signed between Japan and Russia, and the status of the neighboring Kuril Islands
Kuril Islands
The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...
remains disputed. Japan renounced its claims of sovereignty over southern Sakhalin in the Treaty of San Francisco
Treaty of San Francisco
The Treaty of Peace with Japan , between Japan and part of the Allied Powers, was officially signed by 48 nations on September 8, 1951, at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, California...
(1952), but did not formally acknowledge Russian sovereignty over it. Unlike Kuril Islands, however, the area is not disputed between the two nations, as they both acknowledge that Japan renounced its sovereignty claim.
Current status
In 1945, with the defeat of Japan in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Japanese administration in Karafuto ceased to function, and in 1951, at the Treaty of San Francisco
Treaty of San Francisco
The Treaty of Peace with Japan , between Japan and part of the Allied Powers, was officially signed by 48 nations on September 8, 1951, at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, California...
, Japan renounced its rights to Sakhalin. Since that time, the southern part of Sakhalin has been a part of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
(For subsequent history, see Sakhalin Oblast
Sakhalin Oblast
Sakhalin Oblast is a federal subject of Russia comprising the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.The oblast has an area of 87,100 km² and a population of 546,695...
.)
Economy
The pre-war economy of Karafuto was based on fishingFishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
and agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, together with extraction of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
. In terms of industry, the paper industry and the charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
production industry were well developed. Karafuto suffered from a labor shortage through most of its history, and tax incentives were provided to encourage immigration. During World War II, a large number of Koreans were also forcibly relocated to Karafuto.
An extensive railway network was constructed in Karafuto to support the extraction of natural resources. The maintained 682.6 kilometers of track in four main lines, and an additional 58.2 kilometers of track.
Government
Karafuto was administered from the central government in Tokyo as the under the of the Home MinistryHome Ministry (Japan)
The ' was a Cabinet-level ministry established under the Meiji Constitution that managed the internal affairs of Empire of Japan from 1873-1947...
. The Colonization Bureau became the
in 1923 at which time Karafuto was officially designated an overseas territory of the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
.
When the Ministry of Colonial Affairs was absorbed into the new Ministry of Greater East Asia
Ministry of Greater East Asia
The was a cabinet-level ministry in the government of the Empire of Japan from 1942–1945, established to administer overseas territories obtained by Japan in the Pacific War and to coordinate the establishment and development of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.-History and...
in 1942, the administration of Karafuto was separated, and Karafuto became an integral part of the Japanese home islands.
Directors of the Karafuto Agency
| Name | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Kiichirō Kumagai | July 28, 1905 | March 31, 1907 |
| Yukihiko Kusunose | April 1, 1907 | April 24, 1908 |
| Takejirō Tokonami Takejirō Tokonami was a Japanese politician who served as Home Minister of Japan and Railway Minister. Tokonami was born January 1897 in Kagoshima, and later attended the law school at the University of Tokyo... |
April 24, 1908 | June 12, 1908 |
| Sadatarō Hiraoka | June 12, 1908 | June 5, 1914 |
| Bunji Okada | June 5, 1914 | October 9, 1916 |
| Akira Masaya | October 13, 1916 | April 17, 1919 |
| Kinjirō Nagai | April 17, 1919 | June 11, 1924 |
| Akira Masaya (Second term) | June 11, 1924 | August 5, 1926 |
| Katsuzō Toyota | August 5, 1926 | July 27, 1927 |
| Kōji Kita | July 27, 1927 | July 9, 1929 |
| Shinobu Agata | July 9, 1929 | December 17, 1931 |
| Masao Kishimoto | December 17, 1931 | July 5, 1932 |
| Takeshi Imamura | July 5, 1932 | May 7, 1938 |
| Munei Toshikazu | May 7, 1938 | April 9, 1940 |
| Masayoshi Ogawa | April 9, 1940 | July 1, 1943 |
| Toshio Ōtsu Toshio Otsu is a Japanese field hockey player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics.In the 1936 tournament he played all three matches as back for the Japanese field hockey team, when they were eliminated after the group stage.-External links:**... |
July 1, 1943 | November 11, 1947 |
Major cities
Districts of Japan
The was most recently used as an administrative unit in Japan between 1878 and 1921 and is roughly equivalent to the county of the United States, ranking at the level below prefecture and above city, town or village. As of 2008, cities belong directly to prefectures and are independent from...
, in turn divided into 41 municipalities
Municipalities of Japan
Japan has three levels of government: national, prefectural, and municipal. The nation is divided into 47 prefectures. Each prefecture consists of numerous municipalities. There are four types of municipalities in Japan: cities, towns, villages and special wards...
(one city
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
, 13 towns
Towns of Japan
A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...
, and 27 villages
Villages of Japan
A is a local administrative unit in Japan.It is a local public body along with , , and . Geographically, a village's extent is contained within a prefecture....
)
Karafuto's largest city was Toyohara
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
-Demographics:Most residents are ethnic Russians, but there also exists a sizable population of Koreans. Of the 43,000 Sakhalin Koreans, half are estimated to live in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, comprising roughly 12% of the city's population...
. Other major cities included Esutoru
Uglegorsk, Sakhalin Oblast
Uglegorsk is a coastal port town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, located on the western coast of Sakhalin 359 km west of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Population: 13,396 ; 18,402 .-History:...
in the north central and Maoka
Kholmsk
Kholmsk is a town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, the administrative center of Kholmsky District. Population: 35,141 .-History:The town was founded in 1870 as a military post. After the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, the town was transferred to Japanese control, along with the rest of southern...
in the south central region.
The list below are the towns and the city of the prefecture. These in italics are the corresponding current Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
names.
Esutoru Subprefecture (恵須取支庁)
- Towns
- Chinnai (珍内町, Krasnogorsk)
- Esutoru (恵須取町, UglegorskUglegorsk, Sakhalin OblastUglegorsk is a coastal port town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, located on the western coast of Sakhalin 359 km west of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Population: 13,396 ; 18,402 .-History:...
) - Nayoshi (名好町, Lesogorsk)
- Tōro (塔路町, Shakhtyorsk)
Maoka Subprefecture (真岡支庁)
- Towns
- Honto (本斗町, NevelskNevelskNevelsk is a port town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia. Population 18,639 .-Geography:The town is located on the southwest coast of Sakhalin, 123 km from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, on the Sea of Japan.-History:...
) - Maoka (真岡町, KholmskKholmskKholmsk is a town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, the administrative center of Kholmsky District. Population: 35,141 .-History:The town was founded in 1870 as a military post. After the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, the town was transferred to Japanese control, along with the rest of southern...
) - Naihoro (内幌町, Gornozavodsk)
- Noda (野田町, ChekhovoChekhovo, Sakhalin OblastChekhovo is a village in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, at the Strait of Tartary. Population: 4,944 ; 7,901 .Before 1946 it was named Noda . It was granted town status and renamed Chekhov in 1947. It was demoted to village in 2004 , and changed its name to Chekhovo....
) - Tomarioru (泊居町, Tomari)
Shikuka Subprefecture (敷香支庁)
- Towns
- Shirutoru (知取町, Makarov)
- Shikuka (敷香町, PoronayskPoronayskPoronaysk is a town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, located on the Poronay River some 288 km north of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. It is the administrative center of Poronaysky District. Population: 17,400 ; 17,954 ; 25,971 ....
)
Toyohara Subprefecture (豊原支庁)
- City
- Toyohara (豊原市, Yuzhno-SakhalinskYuzhno-Sakhalinsk-Demographics:Most residents are ethnic Russians, but there also exists a sizable population of Koreans. Of the 43,000 Sakhalin Koreans, half are estimated to live in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, comprising roughly 12% of the city's population...
) - Towns
- Ochiai (落合町, DolinskDolinskDolinsk is a town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, the administrative center of Dolinsky District. In Japanese, it is known as Ochiai . Population: 12,555 ; 15,653 .-Geography:...
) - Ōtomari (大泊町, KorsakovKorsakov (town)Korsakov is a town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia. It is the administrative center of Korsakovsky District. Population: 35,079 ; The town is located some south from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, at the southern end of Sakhalin Island, on the coast of the Salmon Cove in the Aniva Bay.-History:Little is known...
) - Rūtaka (留多加町, AnivaAnivaAniva is a coastal town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, located on the coast of Aniva Bay in southern Sakhalin on the Lyutoga River 37 km south of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Population: 8,084 ; 8,905 .-History:...
)
Name
The JapaneseJapanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
name comes from Ainu
Ainu language
Ainu is one of the Ainu languages, spoken by members of the Ainu ethnic group on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō....
Kamuy Kar Put Ya Mosir , which means "the island a god has created on the estuary (of Amur River)". It was formerly known as , meaning Northern Ezo
Ezo
is a Japanese name which historically referred to the lands to the north of Japan. It was used in various senses, sometimes meaning the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō, and sometimes meaning lands and waters further north in the Sea of Okhotsk, like Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands...
(Ezo is the former name for Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
). When Japanese administered the prefecture, Karafuto usually meant Southern Sakhalin only. For convenience, the northern part of the island was sometimes called .
In Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, the entire island was named Sakhalin (Сахалин) or Saghalien. It is from Manchu
Manchu language
Manchu is a Tungusic endangered language spoken in Northeast China; it used to be the language of the Manchu, though now most Manchus speak Mandarin Chinese and there are fewer than 70 native speakers of Manchu out of a total of nearly 10 million ethnic Manchus...
Sahaliyan Ula Angga Hada, meaning "peak of the mouth of Amur River". The southern part was simply called Yuzhny Sakhalin (Южный Сахалин, "South Sakhalin").
In Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
, the name is Sahallin (사할린) or Hwataedo (화태도, 樺太島), with the latter name in use during Korea under Japanese rule
Korea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....
.
Planned expansion
As Japan was extending its influence over East AsiaEast Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
and the Pacific through the establishment of a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere was a concept created and promulgated during the Shōwa era by the government and military of the Empire of Japan. It represented the desire to create a self-sufficient "bloc of Asian nations led by the Japanese and free of Western powers"...
, the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
as part of its offensive contingency plans
Contingency plan
A contingency plan is a plan devised for an exceptional risk which is impractical or impossible to avoid. Contingency plans are often devised by governments or businesses who want to be prepared for events which, while highly unlikely, may have catastrophic effects. For example, suppose many...
to invade the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
if it either became involved in the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
or collapsed due to the ongoing German invasion
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, proposed the annexation of the remaining northern half of Sakhalin to Japan.
See also
- Organization of Karafuto FortressOrganization of Karafuto FortressThe Karafuto Fortress was the defensive unit formed by the Karafuto fortification installations, and the Karafuto detachment of Japanese forces, the88th Division...
- Sakhalin KoreansSakhalin KoreansSakhalin Koreans are Russian citizens and residents of Korean descent living on Sakhalin Island, who trace their roots to the immigrants from the Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces of Korea during the late 1930s and early 1940s, the latter half of the Japanese colonial era...
- Kuril Island conflict