Abstract
The activities of the Japanese shipbuilding firms in the formative years of the industry were much diversified like “general shops” in engineering just to overcome the difficulties in their main lines. But during world war I the industry was favoured with a great deal of orders from abroad and at home, and most of the firms could be specialized into shipbuilding perse, cutting off the other engineering departments.
This paper investigated the case of Yokohama Dock Company, one of the oldest dock yards in Japan. This firm was noted for their early adoption of the form of joint stock company, but they quited the form in spite of its merit, and excluding foreign stockholders, they developed themselves into an independent, specialized shipbuilder.
