A JOURNALIST from a Japanese national newspaper has visited Spen Valley to learn about its link with Luddites - who have captured the imagination of her home country.

Mikako Yokoyama, European correspondent of the Japanese daily newspaper The Mainichi, travelled from her London base to West Yorkshire to research an article about the movement, which saw workers rebelling against their bosses for installing machinery that threatened their jobs.

“Some Japanese people are interested in Luddites, in the context of the technological revolution like artificial intelligence and IT,” said Mikako. “They worry about new technology seizing their jobs. I think there is the same situation in the UK and Japan.”

Mikako, who is based in London and covers the economy in the UK and Europe, was given a tour of locations in the Spen Valley which have historical links with the Luddite movement, by members of Spen Valley Civic Society (SCVS).

Mikako went to Luddite locations in the Spen Valley such as The Shears pub in Liversedge where, in 1812, a group of Luddites met secretly to plot their campaign against mill owners, and Cartwright Street, Rawfolds, the site of the mill which was attacked by 150 Luddites using hammers and axes.

She also visited the site of Jackson’s Cropping Shop in Hightown, Liversedge, where some of the croppers worked and The Star Inn at Roberttown, where two badly-injured Luddites were taken by soldiers after the failed attack. John Booth and Samuel Hartley both died of their wounds after being interrogated, without revealing the names of their Luddite colleagues.

Finally, Mikako paid a visit to Mill Valley Brewery in Cleckheaton, where proprietor and brewer Steve Hemingway showed her his Luddite Rebellion beer.

Said SCVS secretary Erica Amende: “Mikako told us that in Japan most children in junior high school learn that the Luddites were English workers who smashed machinery in the early 19th century. This means that most people in Japan would know the word Luddite but don’t know the reasons behind the Luddites’ actions."

“Mikako was curious that British people don’t learn about the Luddites, and that there remains a negative attitude to them and the word Luddite. She explained that in Japan, people respect history and are interested in it. In our age of artificial intelligence, questioning the effect this technology is having on humans is once again highly relevant.”

Spen Valley is home to the only statue in the world relating to them, in Sparrow Park, Liversedge. Mikako was joined there by SCVS members Erica, Colin Berry and Eric Rowley, and Alan Brooke of ‘Fraid Not, a Huddersfield-based group with expert knowledge of the Luddite uprisings.

Alan explained the background to the Luddite uprisings: “You need to appreciate that in 1812, ordinary people had no voice - no vote and no democratic rights. Working people were suffering badly due to international wars that restricted imports of wheat at a time of poor UK harvests. The price of food rocketed.

“ The Luddite movement wasn’t just resisting machinery, it was fighting against the massive change that industrialisation forced onto families. The traditional workplace at home, where families had worked together, was being destroyed. The suppression of the Luddites’ rebellion resulted in parents and children being separated, and having to work long hours in large mills. Conditions there were usually unhealthy and dangerous.”

Said Mikako: “Luddites have independent minds - I think that is huge power of the Luddites."

She enjoyed her visit. “The people I met are so friendly and proud of their history. When I visited it was a rainy day - if I visit again, on a sunny day, I want to walk more.”