戦間期日本における「小型車」工業の形成と展開 : 三輪車を中心にして

抄録

Three-wheel vehicles, primarily used for transporting small goods, constituted the largest sector in the inter-war Japanese automobile industry. This article will examine the manufacturing of such vehicles from 1920 until 1937 through analysis of the factors of demand, technology and supply. Since three-wheel vehicles cost only one-third of Ford's popular trucks, they could replace the traditional forms of transportation normally used by small businesses. Other factors which led to an expanding market in the 1930s were the fact that no driver's licence was needed, the relatively low vehicle tax rate, and the narrowness of Japanese roads. Technical assistance from the bicycle industry for the frame, and from the agricultural and fishing industries for the engine, made it possible to produce the three-wheel vehicle in Japan. The engine and other principal parts were imported in the 1920s, but Japanese products were able to compete with imports from the 1930s. In the initial phase, the production and distribution of three-wheel vehicles were primarily controlled by bicycle parts manufacturers and motorcycle importers. In the 1930s, however, control shifted to relatively big concerns, such as Hatsudokiseizo (Daihatsu) and Toyokogyo (Mazda).