A Promising Tropical Medicinal Plant: Taiwan as the Production Hub of Japan's Coca Empire

• Published in: Berichte zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte Vol. 47; no. 4; pp. 352 - 381
• Main Author: Lu, Shao‐li
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.12.2024
• Subjects: Coca; Coca industry; Coca leaves; Cocaine; Control equipment; Cultivation techniques; Herbal medicine; History, 19th Century; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Industrial development; Japan; Japanese colonial history of Taiwan; Leaves; Medicinal plants; narcotic drug; Opium - history; Plants, Medicinal; Raw materials; Taiwan; Japan; Taiwan; Coca leaves; narcotic drug; Cocaine; Japanese colonial history of Taiwan; Coca industry
• ISSN: 0170-6233; 1522-2365; 1522-2365
• DOI: 10.1002/bewi.202400005

Before World War II, Taiwan became the second‐largest coca leaf production base in Asia, second only to Java, contributing to Japan's position as the world's largest exporter of cocaine. While Japan's opium empire has been the subject of extensive academic inquiry, its coca empire has received far less attention. This article explores Taiwan's role in Japan's dual empire of opium and coca, focusing on the environmental and historical factors that enabled the island to rapidly expand coca production. It finds that, in addition to Taiwan's favorable climate for coca cultivation, the island's long‐established tea industry provided mature techniques for harvesting and drying the coca leaves. Furthermore, the sugar company supplied the necessary equipment and capital for the extraction of cocaine, becoming a key resource in the industry's development. Learning from the limitations of the opium monopoly—where raw materials were increasingly constrained by international markets—the colonial government sought to promote self‐sufficiency in coca production. This strategy not only ensured a stable supply of raw materials but also allowed the coca industry to balance for the declining incomes from opium as international controls tightened. From all angles, the coca industry met Japan's expectations as a “promising drug.”