THE DECLINE OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION IN KITA KYUSHU AREA

Abstract

Before World War II, Kita Kyushu Industrial Area including Kitakyushu-shi, was one of the four industrial areas in Japan, and it had about 10 percent of industrial production of the whole country. After the War, however, its industrial position in Japan had been declining, and at present, it suppling only 3 percent of the total national shipment. Some important factors which cause these declines of industrial production in Kita Kyushu Area as follows :
I) In Kita Kyushu Area, main products are supplied by such heavy chemical industries as iron steel……especially Yawata Iron and Steel Company, the biggest in Japan……, fertilizer dye material and cement. And about 75 percent of the whole production in this area concentraled in these limited industries. These heavy chemical industries are originally located in this area with accesibility to Chikuho coal field, and advantage for import of raw material from China. Most of these factories are large in scale and located along the coast having the advantage of marine transportation. But after the War, Kita Kyushu industrial area lost its locational advantage, some of which are mentioned below. 1) Declining of the importance of coal in production of these industries, 2) difficulties of maintaing the trade relationship with China, 3) the shortage of water supply for those industry, and 4) relative decline of demand situation in reference to other industrial areas.
II) The second factor is that the machine industry, despite of many developing possibilities, did not make itself enlarge in this area. It was brought by the policy of self-contained production system which characterize large plant such as Yawata Iron and Steel Company in this area, hence subcontructive makers which make various kind of material parte are not fully formed as effective production system. It prevents the development of durable consumer goods industries as television, automobile and camera in this area.
III) The third factor is that this district lacks miscellanious industries producing daily consumer goods, which depend on the demand of Kitakyushu-shi by following two reasons. One is that Yawata iron and Steel Company soaked up many manual labours in this area, and another is that this company create no effective demand for local market and moreover, make no effort to grow such industries in the area.