The Sixth Annual Conference of the Japan Business History Society was held on 28-30th October, 1970, at the Murobe-Inn, Shirahama Spa, Wakayamaken. It was organized successfully by Prof. S. Tsunoyama as the first boarding conference of our society.
In openning the conference, Prof. Tsunoyama emphasized that the close relationship between government and business in every country, particularly notable after the Second World War, has its origin in the early stage of industrialization and the economic functions of modern government should be considered historically according to the following four categories : government as (1) regulator, (2) promoter, (3) entrepreneur, and (4) planner.
The first speaker, Prof. Tatsuo Takenaka (Kônan University), having emphasized the difference of meaning between “government and business” and “business and government”, reviewed from the latter point of view the studies on the public utilities in U.S.A. over the last several decades.
The second speaker, Prof. Sadao Takadera (Kyoto University) analysed the policies of the early Meiji government to promote business activities by the introduction of the western system of depreciation into government-aided enterprises in banking and shipping.
On the second day three papers were read ; two in the morning, and one in the evening.
The first speaker, Prof. Takeshi Fukuo (Tokyo College of Economics) pointed out that Prussian Beamtenunternehmer in the first half of the nineteenth century played a conspicuous role to promote German industrialization, performing as an entrepreneur of state enterprises and in the latter half of the nineteenth century the government functioned rather as a promoter of the private enterprises so that the latter might be able to compete with those in the advanced countries.
In Japan the government policy in 1880's of selling out government owned enterprises to private entrepreneurs could successfully encourage the rapid industrialization. Prof. Masaaki Kobayashi (Kanto-gakuin University) elaborated the major objectives of the government leaders in their policy of selling-out.
The evening lecture was delivered by Prof. Keiichiro Nakagawa (Tokyo University). He compared and contracted the relationships between government, parliament and business in Japan with those in U. S. A. and Britain. Prof. Yoshitaro Wakimura (Tokyo University) commented on the activities of the government officials in Japan and America in the pre-war period.
At the third day meeting two papers were read on the Japanese government policies in relation to the transportation. Prof. Tadashi Uda (Ottemon-gakuin College) analysed the government “railway strategy” for constructing and administering the national and private railways.
Lastly, Prof. Hiroshi Okaniwa (Osaka College of Trade) criticized the government shipping policies. He pointed out that the practical measures taken by the Japanese government were to aid some particular big shipping companies, not to aid private shipping business in general.

View full abstract