Control of metal resources and development of substitute materials for building materials by Japan after the Second Sino-Japanese War

중일전쟁 이후 일제의 금속자원 통제와 건축자재 대용품 개발

Since the beginning of the second Sino-Japanese war in 1937, the entire Korean Peninsula has entered a full-fledged wartime system. Japan enacted laws that strongly regulate the distribution of various resources for war, and the same was implemented in Joseon. In particular, as iron, copper, lead, tin, and aluminum were mobilized as raw materials for military supplies such as weapons, private distribution decreased significantly, which had a great impact on the construction industry. As the use of metal such as steel as building materials requires permission from the provincial governor, it has become difficult to supply and demand except for some military facilities. In addition, the Japanese Ministry of Commerce and Industry encouraged research and development and manufacturing to promote the so-called "substitute goods industry" to make up for the shortage of supplies. Products with improved performance through chemical treatment by injecting only a small amount of the same raw material than before or using alternative raw materials have been developed. It was intended to overcome the limitations of lack of raw materials through the chemical industry. In terms of building materials, various substitutes were produced due to the incorporation of petrochemicals and the use of synthetic resins. This trend continued even after the end of the war and served as one of the backgrounds for R&D and production of new materials without returning to the "substitute goods."