<論説>後藤新平と植民地経営 : 日本植民政策の形成と国内政治

Abstract

日清戦争による台湾領有は、台湾関係費の予想外の膨張をまねき、第二次松方内閣が地租増徴を決意する最大の直接的要因となった。地租増徴反対を唱える政党勢力もそれを推進せんとする藩閥勢力も、ともに台湾統治改革による台湾財政の整理を主張しはじめる。新任台湾民政局長後藤新平は「旧慣温存による経費節減」論にもとつく統治改革を断行し、台湾財政の経常費的部分を圧縮して本国の期待にこたえるとともに、台湾事業公債法による特別事業費の膨張を通じて、持論である積極主義的植民地経営論を実現しようとした。同法は第一三議会で一応の成立をみ、一九〇一年以降の財政逼迫状況にもかかわらず、台湾の戦略的重要性のたかまりに支えられて、ほぼ当初計画以上のペースで実行されていった。だが、徹底した積極財政論者であった後藤は一層の積極主義的植民地経営を望み、本国の「吝費主義」・内地延長主義を抑制するため、「台湾統治法案」を起草させる。

As the result of the victorious Sino-Japanese War, Japan aquired Taiwan, which provoked the unexpected rocketing up of the "Taiwan Budget". That is the very reason why the Matsukata's Second Government decided to introduce the land-tax increase. Both the political parties, which were against the land-tax increase, and the clans "Hanbatsu 藩閥" which intended to increse the land-tax eagerly, started to insist on the readjustment of the "Taiwan Budget". Shimpei Goto, who took charge of the civil administration of Tai wan, dared to reform the way of ruling, basing it upon his theory, that is, financial readjustment by maintaining the traditional customs "Kyukan-Onzon 旧慣温存". Goto succeeded in cutting down the current expenditure of the "Taiwan Budget". Besides, he tried to realize his own theory of 'active' colonial management through the expansion of the extra enterprise budget, which was supposed to be given shape by the Taiwan Enterprise Public Loan Bill "Taiwan-Jigyo-Kosai-ho 台湾事業公債法". The bill was approved by the 13th session of the Diet. Although after 1901 Japanese government was hard presse financially, the extra enterprise budget was carried out more affiuently than had been expected, for it looked upon Taiwan as an area of strategic importance. But Goto was never satisfied with such rapid realization of the extra budget. He, therefore, had the Taiwan Ruling Bill "Taiwan-Tochi-Ho 台湾統治法" drafted, in order to restrain the'thriftism' "Rinpishugi 吝費主義" and the principle of gradually extending Japanese laws to apply to colonial subjects "Naichi-Enchoshugi 内地延長主義", both of which were major opinions at homeland.