Development of Multi-loeational Enterprises in Japan : With Special Reference to Electric Machinery Industry

Abstract

The author examined the spatial pattern of multi-locational enterprises and its time-space relation with regional systems, in order to clarify the mode of industrial expansion through the rapid economic growth period in Japan after World War II. Head offices, branch offices, plants and R & D (research and development)facilities of the electric machinery enterprises in 1960 and 1990 are mapped based on the data regarding their location, year of establishment, and size and output of their plants, collected by questionnaire and monograph survey on 80 major enterprises in Japan. A comparative analysis on distribution of the enterprises at the pre-and post- economic growth periods, brought the following results; 1) Most of the head offices of the enterprises have concentrated in Tokyo metropolitan area, and their branch offices have been set up in the regional metropolitan centers (Sapporo, Sendai, Hiroshima, Fukuoka) to form a nation-wide-system. Over half of branch offices also located at those cities. Under the staple branch offices also at the three metropolitan cities, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, subordinate branch offices have been set up. 2) Following the nine industrial categories, all of the enterprises belonging to the General Electric Equipment type and the Home Electric Equipment type have set up their offices at every regional metropolitan center. On the other hand,the enterprises belonging to the Heavy Electric Equipment type and the Measuring Instrument type have not always established their branch offices at every regional metropolitan center, and instead, more than half of them have thier branch offices at other cities specialized in certain manufacturing activity relevant to the category. 3) Electric machinery plants have been established mainly in east Japan,while their R & D facilities have been set up around the head offices. Most of the plants have been agglomerated around the three metropolitan cities since 1960. However, some of the enterprises of the General Electric Equipment and Home Electric Equipment have developed their plants at the regional metropolitan centers. On the other hand, the plants of Heavy Electric Equipment have been concentrated around their head offices, as the size of the enterprises is smaller than that of other categories and the number of their plants is limited. Thus, the distribution pattern of branch offices and plants of the electric machinery enterprises in Japan shows a difference according to the categories stated above.