占領期日本の家電産業 : 電気冷蔵庫を中心に

抄録

The purpose of this paper is to examine the Japanese household appliance industry from 1946 to 1951, especially the refrigerator industry, which manufactured refrigerators for families of the Allied occupation forces. In 1946, manufacturing refrigerators for the occupation posed three major problems: a shortage of materials, poor design or production technique, and inconsistent specifications from the occupation side. Thus, from the end of 1946, the Engineering Section of the Eighth Army considered these problems, and began offering complete technical instruction to each Japanese maker. Consequently, the Japanese manufacturers made great technical improvements, and product specifications were stabilized. Due to the advice from the occupation army, Japanese manufacturers were able to greatly improve and rationalize their production process, and the end of 1946-beginning of 1947 marks a turning point in Japanese refrigeration manufacturing, where shortage of materials and parts emerged as the biggest problem. Unfortunately, however, the refrigerators made for the occupation families did not meet Japanese domestic requirements on two points: compressor (open type) and capacity (7 cubic feet). Therefore, when occupation forces demand fell, the makers developed smaller refrigerators with sealed compressors, but these products were too expensive for most Japanese households to purchase. Nevertheless, manufacturing refrigerators for the occupation forces proved to be critical to the development of the industry, because the manufacturers were able to apply the knowledge and techniques they acquired through this process to the next stage.