昭和十一年（1936），在備戰狀態下，國策會社臺灣拓殖株式會社成立。為了配合東部開發和山地開發計畫的展開，臺灣總督府企圖以臺拓主導東部產業開發。昭和十二年（1937）中葉，該社乃於東部成立出張所與事業地，積極經營東臺灣。 　　由於臺灣東部適合栽植日本母國紡織工業亟需的棉花，又擁有廣大未墾官有林野地，臺灣總督府與臺拓遂決定優先在該地推行熱帶栽培業。臺拓在東臺灣的開墾事業、移民事業、栽培事業以及造林事業即在這樣的背景下展開。東臺灣地區成為臺拓熱帶栽培事業的試驗地，再逐步往西部地區推廣。創社初期，臺拓在臺灣東部設置最多、面積最大的事業地，栽種的植物也最多。 　　臺拓在東臺灣的開墾事業以開發荒地、造成耕地為優先，栽培事業以配合總督府政策，栽種對國家有用的熱帶特殊作物為原則，戰略價值更高。事業初期不斷嘗試各種軍需新作物的企圖極為明顯，而且主要移植南洋地區、非臺灣原生的新作物。戰爭末期，一方面大部分的新作物栽植並不順利，另一方面決戰時期以竭盡資源為目標，轉而改以臺灣原生作物為優先。 　　然而，因自然災害和勞力不足等種種因素，臺拓在東臺灣的農林事業並未達到創社初期的預期目標，栽培事業的成效最差。不過，東部的事業地基本上均位於邊際的河川荒廢地和淺山丘陵地，因此一九三○年代中葉臺拓對東部農林事業的經營，隱含著戰時國防與經濟體制下，殖民政府乃透過國策會社來實行其邊陲區域發展政策。亦即，由臺灣總督府先進行調查與試驗，擬定發展方針，再由國策會社結集資本、引進技術以及人力實際執行東部的產業開發方略。在臺拓帶頭效應之下，日系資本乃紛紛進入東臺灣投資。戰時東部邊區的開發，即在這種國家與企業同構的模式之下展開了新格局。

Taiwan Development Company (TDC), a national policy company, was founded in 1936, around this same time that eastern Taiwan's development was being discussed and a plan for the mountainous region's development was unfolding. For this reason, the Government-general urged TDC to take the lead in opening up eastern Taiwan. By 1937, TDC had set up some offices and undertook land so as to manage the business of eastern Taiwan. Eastern Taiwan's terrain was in the beginning suited to plant cotton to supply the needs of Japan's textile industry, with the rest mostly being official wastelands. The Government-general and TDC decided to target tropical cultivation in eastern Tai- wan, and under this background TDC began a process of land reclamation, immigra tion, and land clearing in that area. Eastern Taiwan became basically a laboratory for TDC's tropical cultivation, which was then popularized and brought over to west- ern Taiwan. Growing mostly plants during the primary stage, TDC installed the largest and most comprehensive undertaking of land in eastern Taiwan. The priority of land reclamation in eastern Taiwan was to develop wastelands and make them more cultivatable. The clearing of land had to match with the policy of the Government-general to grow tropical plants and was of highly strategic impor- tance. During the primary stage, TDC tried to plant new crops that came from the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia for military purposes. However, during the last phase of war, because the planting of new crops failed and all natural resources were exhausted in a decisive engagement, TDC turned to planting native crops of Taiwan. The company's land reclamation and clearing operations enterprise in eastern Taiwan did not meet with expectation. The effect from land clearing was the worst, as the undertaking of land in eastern Taiwan was located within river wastelands and hills. Hence, in the mid-1930s, due to national defense and economic system priori- ties, the colony's government carried out a development policy of the frontier area through the national policy company, whereby the Government-general proceeded to investigate, experiment, and draw up the guiding principle first. The national policy company then concentrated its capital, technology, and labor power to develop eastern Taiwan. After TDC's lead, Japanese investment enterprises entered eastern Taiwan in droves, united with the state in great efforts to develop eastern Taiwan's frontier area in wartime.

臺灣拓殖株式會社;東臺灣開發委員會;山地開發計畫;國策會社;殖民政府;熱帶栽培業;開墾事業;栽培事業;邊區開發

Taiwan Development Company; Eastern Taiwan Development Committee; the plan of mountainous region development; national policy company; colonization government; tropical cultivation; land reclamation; land clearing; frontier area development