Evolution of Inland Industrial Estates in the Northern Kanto Region

Abstract

Since 1960, many industrial estates have been established in the metropolitan areas of Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya in Japan, which have been of great importance to the rationalization of industrial distribution and regional development.
This study is a systematic analysis of how the inland industrial estates have been established under controlling conditions of regulations and laws, location and constructors as well, and how they have evolved with the change of enterprises' strategies, through a case study of the most-developed Northern Kanto Region (Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma Prefectures).
The results are summarized as follows.
(1) The process of spatial diffusion of the inland industrial estates in the Northern Kanto Region can be divided into two periods. Before 1970, the industrial estates were mainly constructed by the Japanese Housing Corporation and the municipal development authorities and largely distributed in those urban developing areas designated by the Law for the Promotion of the National Capital Region. The land transferred to the industrial estates was mostly forested land or dry farmland. Because of the transportation conditions and relevant regulations and laws, the industrial estates in this period were mainly located along the national highways in the zones which were 60-80 or 90-110 kilometers away from the center of Tokyo.
After 1971, they were constructed mainly by the prefectural authorities and distributed in those rural areas designated by the Law for the Industrial Promotion in Rural Area, or the northern parts of each prefecture which were designated as depopulating regions. The land transferred was paddy field, marshland or the site of Expo '85. These estates were located near the local roads and the interchanges of the superhighways.
(2) There are two different kinds of enterprises, local and invited. The industrial composition is characterized by predominance of machinery and metal working sector, which comprises 51% of the total, represented by the automobiles and auto-accessories industries. As regards the size of enterprises, the small and medium-sized enterprises are predominant, making up 92.6% of the total, showing that the industrial estates have played an important role to accommodate those smaller enterprises.
(3) Thirty years have passed since the first industrial estate was established in the Northern Kanto Region. In this period of time, the nature of industrial estates has changed along with the changing development strategies of the enterprises.
In the late 1960s, the industrial estates were solely used as the sites of production itself, leaving other functions elsewhere. In the 1970s, besides the productive function, other functions such as distribution facilities, warehouses and affiliated and subcontract plants were altogether introduced into the industrial estates, forming integrated production centers. At the same time, the industrial estates changed from isolated enclaves to integrated part of the local economy. In the 1980s, the enterprises began to direct a new type of activity combining production and research, with the result that the industrial estates with “research” in their names were increased. Thus the industrial estates with higher level of technology and with better living conditions have emerged in the Northern Kanto Region.