Abstract
In this article we focus on the “network formation” to clarify the features and functions of the food industry cluster. Firstly, three principal contentions about the network structure of the food industry cluster were extracted, by comprehensively reviewing the results of previous domestic and foreign studies. They are as follow: i) a characteristic network structure of the food industry compared to other industries, ii) the uniqueness of the mechanism of knowledge flow, and iii) consolidation of cluster strategy and rural regional development. With respect to the second issue, we have tried to clarify the structural characteristics of the network of confectionery industry in Hokkaido through the use of social network analysis (SNA) and to evaluate their functions from the viewpoint of social capital. As a result, the following was found, the confectionery materials wholesale are expected to play the role of a “gatekeeper” who bridges the structural holes between local and supra-regional networks.
