This paper presents an analysis studies on the Japanese history of arms production problems from the 1920s to 1940s. In presenting and analyzing documents, we focused on Showa Tsusho. We analyzed the established purposes and expected roles of two arms export companies: Taihei Kumiai and Showa Tsusho. These companies were placed under the strong control of the Japanese army. Focusing on Showa Tsusho, we verified that the Japanese army developed policies for arms export and support. In the verification, we clarified the arms production problems that the Japanese army addressed. We also examined the fact that not only Japan but also Western countries, including Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States, which were advanced countries in arms export, were extremely proactive in arms export in spite of the time of disarmament. The arms production problems could be described as “peacetime war.” Thus, the proliferation of arms through arms production problems was part of the preparation for the next war.

抄録全体を表示

Since the formation of the second Abe administration in 2012, the Japanese government’s “dexclusively defense-oriented” (Senshubouei) policy has undergone significant changes. Consequently, the nature of the defense industry may also be required to change. This paper focuses on the supply system for aircraft and guided weapons. The main equipment of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) has been maintained by the Defense Agency and the Ministry of Defense. The top 20 companies with the largest procurement amounts account for approximately 70% of the central procurement. Among them, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) is the largest arms manufacturer in Japan. As such, we examine the transition of MHI mainly during the period up to 1980s. During the late 1960s, more than 90% of the equipment used by the JSDF was procured “domestically”. However, this does not necessarily indicate that the arms were domestically produced. An analysis of Japan’s procurement of aircraft and guided weapons has indicated that the country relies on license agreements with US arms companies and “Foreign Military Sales.” In this sense, Japan’s defense industry is believed to be increasingly dependent on the United States.

抄録全体を表示

This paper discusses two cases in which civilian knowledge and technology for preventing air pollution caused by coal smoke from factories, which was becoming a serious problem in 19th-century British cities, were applied and converted to military use (the improvement of the performance of steam-powered vessels, which were still in their infancy) by the Royal Navy in the mid-19th century. The background and processes that led to the technology’s conversion to military use are also examined in this paper.

抄録全体を表示

This paper examines the case of Postan’s British War Production, published in 1952, which became the subject of an injunction dispute involving the British Joint Intelligence Committee. The book described Britain’s military industrial base during World War II, but its publication was met with resistance in the context of rising tensions between the Soviet Union and the West. In several meetings, economic historians and cabinet secretaries advocated the importance of building a nation-state narrative and making it available to civil society. Conversely, the military opposed the release of information related to the conduct of total war. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Scientific Advisory Board argued that advancements in weaponry and the regular release of economic data rendered information secrecy increasingly obsolete. Although the debate was ultimately resolved somewhat forcefully when Prime Minister Churchill authorized publication, the discussions remain instructive. They include deliberations on the nature of future warfare and the potential benefits of making recent history publicly available.

抄録全体を表示

This essay attempts to clarify the actual situation of the information, telecommunications and electrical industries in the British economy in the 19th century by analyzing the trends of the industry at the time of the establishment of the Electrical Section in the London Chamber of Commerce (LCC) in 1888. Since the 19th century, the international information and telecommunications network has expanded rapidly. British telegraph companies led this expansion and the British electrical industry, including telegraph companies, experienced rapid growth during this period. In this essay, we analyze the intention and process of establishing their own section in the LCC at this time, based on reports in the Telegraphic Journal and Electrical Review, and the results reveal the following. Then, the information, telecommunications, and electrical industries were unstable and lacked a sense of unity. As a result, they faced many problems, such as inconsistencies in product prices and standards, and disputes over patents. Therefore, the section was established in the LCC to share information, exchange views across the industry, and secure a basis for favorable negotiations with the government or local authorities.

抄録全体を表示