A study on Exports of the Japan-Netherlands Trade and a Situation of Asian Market in the 17th century

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I have investigated the Japan-Netherlands trading system and exports in the 17th century. I gave several subjects for making clear of them in this research. I focused on a channel of distribution with the Dutch East India Company (VOC), and also a process of the trading exports (silver, copper, gold and camphor) in this period. Silver was exported from 1609 to 1668, which was accounted for over eighty percent in all exports. It was invested as capital in China and India with VOC. VOC made a huge profit from Japanese silver trade particularly in the 1630s.The situation, however, changed by a great flow of American silver to Asian market and European market. After 1640s the value of silver compared with gold declined. Moreover the Dutch trade in China damaged in 1662. Thus the exports of Japanese silver had gradually decreased for those factors. The other hand the Japanese government decided to prohibit the export of silver in 1668 for avoiding an outflow of silver. Gold (coban), permitted to export form 1664, became the most important article as well as copper in this trade instead of silver. Gold was used in Cromandel coast in India with VOC. Copper was constantly exported from the establishment of the Dutch factory, in Hirado though the amount was still lower than silver's. Copper became gradually an indispensable article to the Japan-Netherlands trade. I proved that a group of merchants who could exclusively trade with the Dutch in Hirado existed. The group were eliminated from the trade when the factory moved to Nagasaki (1641). I also researched into papers about the Japan-Netherlands trade in this period, and gave the problems of this field in this stage. I also translated a report about the trade situation until the middle of the 18th century written by van der Waeyen who had worked as a head of the factory three times. For all those research I finished my disertation about " A Study of the Japan-Netherlans Trade in the Edo Era".