Kenji Miyazawa, a relatively unknown poet and teacher, long having a fascination with Buddhism and the scenic rural view, yet coming from a rich family was never able to really pursue his interest. Yet, a student in geology, and in times of great turmoil politically in Japan, this was seen as his only chance to escape family pressure, due to his religious fervor and repugnance towards commerce. Proposing to the Giichi government, for an long expedition in China for land survey and geological purposes, Miyazawa hope to escape to the Chinese countryside, away from his father's grip, all under government funding. The Tokyo Government happily obliged, to provide fundings for a 3 year - private geological expedition in China, provided that Russia and Mongolia is also visited. The Imperial General Headquarters also implanted, under Giichi's orders, its own mapmakers and land surveyors, as well as some of Japan's most brilliant seismologists and geologists, with the goal of mapping the Chinese, Mongolian and Siberian terrain as well as their riches in detail

The Government of the Republic of China is approached, with the offer to collaborate on the Miyazawa Expedition in China, sending some of China's best geologists to survey the land, with the information shared between the states.