Evening star., 1936-08-30
BRAZIL MAY SMASH
JAPANESE UTOPIA
Tsukasa Uetsuka Dreamed
of Oriental Colony
in Amazonas.
BY RAFAEL ORDORICA,

RIO DE JANEIRO, August %
Has the Brazilian Senate, in secret
session, smashed Tsukasa Uetsukas
dream of a japanese Utopia" in
South America?
The Japanese dreamer" member
of the imperial diet and former parlia-
mentary councillor. held 2,4lO,OOo,-
acre land grant from the Amazonas
government. 1t was his plan to settle
eventually on this land 10000 jap
anese farming families.
The Brazilian Senate now has an
nulled the grant on the grounds that 1t
was "unpatriotic and anti-nationalist." "
It is believed that Uetsuka'S only hope
of saving his dream" lies with an ap-
peal to the courts.
200 Families Settled.
uetsuka has been engaged in his at
tempt TO conquer the Amazon jungle
for the last seven years. So far he has
settled 200 families.
The land grant, which the Senate
has annulled, was issued in 1880. All
but q fragment of the United States
west Of the Rockies could be fitted into
the jungle immensity of Amazonas.
In its 707,000-odd square miles
Amazonas has less than $4,000 people,
less than one person a square mile.
Amazonas has been compared to
early Egypt and Mesapotamia, a rich
river valley, fertile, teeming.
Japan proper has an area OF 148,756
square miles. Its population, accord
ing to latest figures, gives it more
than 433 persons a square mile. Even
in its empire there are more than 348
people to every square mile. Density
OF population is among reasons .ad-
yanced by statesmen of Japan for its
need of more land.
In 1926 Ephigenio Ferreira de SALES,
President of the state of Amazonas,
was visited by Shichita Tashke, jap
anese Ambassador to Brazil. The
President said to the Ambassador that
japanese immigrants would find
ready welcome in Amazonas. He
promised to have legislation passed
permitting land grants for COLOMBIA
ton.
Negotiated for Land Grant.
When the legislation had been
enacted In 1927, Uetsuka, then third
highest official in the Toxic finance
ministry and a prominent member Of
the Seiyukai party. sent Gems. Aburo
Yamanishi and Kinroku Awazu to
negotiate for land grant. They OBJ
tanned an option for 1000 900 hectares.
Two years later Uetsuka came to
Brazil, toured the Amazonas regions,
picked four large tracts totaling l.
100000 hectares (2,4l0,000 acres)
and signed a contract which was ap-
proved by the Amazonas government
in 1890.
Under its terms he was given title
to the land for so years and If by
the end of that time he had 10000
Japanese farming families on it, the
land belonged to the families in per-
petuity in their several shares. The
concession permitted its holder to
build railroads and highways, tele-
phones and telegraphs, radio stations.
power plants, factories, foundries,
houses and buildings of all kinds.
The settlers were to become Bra
lillian citizens and be at all times
subject to Brazilian federal and state
law.
Prospective capitalist supporters
and settlers in Japan were skeptical
when Uetsuka first approached them.
Then he published monthly period
ical, conferred, lectured and wrote
in an intensive publicity campaign.
Subsequently he counted among his
accomplishments:
The Amazonia Institute in Parin-
tins. Amazonas, and its counterpart
In Toxic.
School Of Colonization.
The Superior School Of Coloniza-
ton in Toxic, wherein 276 university
graduates were put through one-year
courses to become "the future leaders
of the settlement" OF these, 256
came to Amazonas.
Three hospitals and two elemen-
tary schools in the Amazonas settle
ment. Also in the settlement: A