Abstract
Generally speaking, machinery production activities in Japan center in large city areas holding great indusitral labor and yielding the major portion of nation's added value. Industries in rural districts in small towns are comparatively small in scale, with the exception of mining and war supplies business. Before 1900. preceding business and other specific condition were contributing factors in deciding the seat of industries, most of which were mining, textle, war supplies, and fishing industries ; but things have, since 1900. been changing and plants under the control of the large enterprises, electric machinery plants and monopolitic undertakings are losing their regional characteristics.
Tokyo-Yokohama, Nagoya and Osaka-Kobe districts, with their excellent transpotation facilities, lend themselves to collaboration among related plants, and so they are characterized by an army of sub-contrac factories gathering together around large assembling plants. Since these sub-contract or co-operating plants have to deal with production setups other than their respective parent companies, it can be said that parent organizations are interdependent through these small factories.
Plants built in rural district, for the purpose of avoiding various disadvantages arising from plant concentration in large cities, are not successful in turning out products of high accuracy because of poor labor quality. Hence they are mostly engaged in production of electric machine parts or simple speciality goods.
Industrial accumulation is going on with rapid speed in large city areas keeping pace with the growth of production durable goods. Simultaneously new industrial investments are being made in rural districts, though small in value as compared with those in city areas. But large assembly plants in city area can not produce excellent goods as long as they use parts manufactured by rural factries employing poor quality labor. Accordingly, Japan has to import high precision macine tools or similar products requiring highly trained skill. This deplorable situation will not be remedied in an immediate future.
