The
Confusion Era:
Art and Culture of Japan During the Allied Occupation, 1945-1952
Tani Masuzo,
"Don't Sell Salt Illegally. The World Is Monitoring Imported Salt,"
1950.
Offset print, 52.9 x 38 cm.
Tobacco and Salt Museum, Tokyo
Following the death in 1947 of a Tokyo district court judge
from malnutrition owing to his refusal to eat any foods that had been purchased
on the black market, the government launched a campaign against illegal
trading. Tobacco and salt, which had been government monopolies since 1898
and 1905 respectively, were frequent black market commodities, and the government
agency responsible for them, the Senbaikyoku (from 1949 to 1985 established
as Nihon Senbai Kosha) produced a number of posters, including this one,
and "Don't Sell Salt Illegally. Make an Effort
to Deliver All Your Production to the Government," urging citizens
to comply with government regulations.
courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution
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