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Description
Original 1933 report published by Fujita Shokai (Kobe, Japan) titled “Anthracite Coal Mines in the Tonkin Region of French Indochina.”
A rare pre-WWII industrial and resource survey documenting the anthracite coal fields in French Indochina (present-day northern Vietnam), including maps, statistics, and photographs.
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Historical Background
During the early Shōwa period, Japan was a resource-poor island nation heavily dependent on imported raw materials such as iron, oil, and coal.
As the Empire’s industrial and naval expansion accelerated, securing overseas fuel sources became a national strategic priority.
Anthracite (smokeless coal) was especially critical — it powered Imperial Navy steamships, war industries, and chemical plants.
Facing limitations on domestic supply, Japanese commercial houses and government agencies conducted field surveys across Asia to locate potential reserves under European colonial rule.
This report represents one such effort — a firsthand Japanese investigation into the French Indochina coal basin, compiled by businessman Reizo Fujita of Kobe.
It details the mining operations, quality analyses, transportation routes, and trade opportunities between Tonkin and Japan.
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Contents Overview
- Overview of anthracite coal production in Tonkin (Haiphong–Halong Bay area)
- Descriptions of major mines: Hong Gai, Cam Pha, Kiem Lam, and others
- Statistical data on production, labor, and exports
- Analysis of coal quality and suitability for naval and industrial use
- Maritime transport routes between Indochina and Kobe
- Negotiations with French colonial mining authorities
- Fold-out colored map of the Tonkin coalfields, blue-printed map of Japan–Indochina routes,
and photographs of mines, ports, workers, and Fujita’s coal depot in Kobe
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Bibliographic Information
- Title: Anthracite Coal Mines in the Tonkin Region of French Indochina
- Author: Reizo Fujita (藤田礼造)
- Publisher: Fujita Shokai, Kobe, Japan
- Year: Shōwa 8 (1933)
- Size: approx. 22 × 15.5 cm
- Condition: Light age toning; all maps and photo plates complete and well preserved
- Language: Japanese
- Status: Out of print / Extremely rare
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Significance
This document offers an exceptional glimpse into Japan’s prewar economic intelligence and resource strategy.
It reflects the Empire’s early attempts to build an independent energy supply network — an effort that would later evolve into the broader South Seas Resource Zone concept during World War II.
A complete copy with both fold-out maps and photo plates is extraordinarily scarce.
An invaluable reference for researchers of Imperial Japanese trade, naval fuel policy, and colonial resource diplomacy in Southeast Asia.
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