著者
Atsuhiko TAKEUCHI Hideo MORI
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.74, no.1, pp.33-46, 2001-06-30 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
34
被引用文献数
1 2

The most important core that has sustained the innovations of the machinery industry of Japan is the technological complex composed of SMEs in Southern Tokyo, the core of which is ota-ku. Entering the 1990s, the firms and their industrial complex have changed their respective methods of operations under the drastic change in economic conditions. That is, in addition to the founding (1st) generation the new generation participated as management and engineering staff. This resulted in the crystallization of craftsmanship and ME technologies to bring about the sophistication of plants and their complex. These innovations were led not by the TNCs but by the SMEs. Consequently the complex of SMEs that was in a vertical relationship with the TNCs has functionally grown into a horizontal one. At the same time, the new generation that has grown up together in the same area has promoted its network or interchanges with various types of residents to strengthen the overall industrial community. In recent years, the local government has promoted attractive regional industrial projects to strengthen and fortify both the technological complex and the innovative system. The measures taken for the vitalization of industry have in turn, brought about the improvement of the environment. In Inner Tokyo, the basis of sustainable renovation depends upon the renewal of the area based upon the symbiosis of industrial complex and the environment.
著者
Takaaki NIHEI
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.74, no.1, pp.47-61, 2001-06-30 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
50

Examining agricultural efficiency in terms of energy balance will be a first step in helping to find a solution to the sustainable development of agriculture, and to environmental problems such as the exploitation of natural resources especially in developed countries. This study attempts to define regional energy efficiency based on the regional input-output energy ratio (output/input), which is calculated by the input fossil fuel energy and output food energy of all crops produced in a region. It also investigates the changes in regional energy efficiency of the prefectures in Japan from 1970 to 1990. By inspecting typical combinations of crops, the regional energy efficiency, which will be an index for examining the temporal and spatial changes of regional crop production, is divided into four categories: high (regional input-output energy ratio: more than 2.7 in 1970 and 1990), middle (1.8-2.6 in 1970, 1.7-2.6 in 1990), low (0.7-1.7 in 1970, 0.7-1.6 in 1990) and very low (under 0.6 in 1970 and 1990). Applying these categories to the prefectural level, specific features were seen in the decrease of the prefectures with middle efficiency in the southern Kanto Region and the appearance of prefectures with very low efficiency in the southeastern part of Japan over two decades. It is considered that the decline of energy efficiency was caused mainly due to the increase in the percentage of greenhouse crops planted in the prefectures that are active in the production of paddy rice and horticultural crops. The emergence of the prefectures with very low efficiency in 1990 also implies that intensive crop production reinforces the impact on the natural environment by the usage of fossil fuel energy especially in the region that has high economic land productivity.
著者
Abdou Khadre DIAGNE
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.74, no.1, pp.62-77, 2001-06-30 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
22
被引用文献数
1 1

Since the 1970s, tourism development in the Senegalese Petite Cote has rapidly expanded, with diverse impacts in a number of spheres. The human and physical geography of the Petite Cote and its ecosystems are being powerfully shaped by the new entrepreneurial activity. What changes, positive and negative, has tourism brought along the coastline How can locals be better integrated into the tourism sector How can sustainable tourism development be effectively promoted here To assess the impacts of coastal tourism, questionnaire surveys were conducted in 1999 and 2001 in three focal areas for tourism in Sali resort. The surveys indicate that tourism has significantly modified traditional social structure and spawned an array of new social ills, such as prostitution and theft. The tourism boom has transformed many villages into satellites for cheap menial labor. The present investigation can be usefully viewed as a concrete case study of unsustainable tourism development. Despite the fast pace of tourism expansion, it is still oriented largely to maximizing returns, with the evident exclusion of most of the local population. Numerous tourism-related pollutants now plague the environment of traditional villages. It is argued that locals should be better integrated into the tourism process and pollution must be dealt with by rigorous new measures with an aim to promoting more sustainable development in harmony with the local economy and ecology. In particular, necessary skill levels among locals must be upgraded; concomitantly, traditional activities can be reinforced within an eco-tourism framework geared to attracting more tourists interested in an alternative type of holiday experience.
著者
Lisa H. LEE
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.74, no.1, pp.78-91, 2001-06-30 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
40
被引用文献数
1

Performance studies have often placed their attention on performance as an event, and on how it reflects people. This article, however, focuses on the relationships between cultural performance, identity and space, as it plays out in the constitution of ethnic identities. Through a qualitative analysis of the Ikuno Korean Festival in Osaka, it examines and critiques how identities are constructed, and how this process is shaped by the mediation of intea and inter-community concerns. Particular attention is paid to the potential of reorganized culture through a thinking of similarity rather than difference. The dynamic interrelations suggest that festival provides a particular and informal public sphere wherein certain social logics and identities are contested. These discursive arenas are therefore marked by certain exclusions and inclusions. This study shows the complex process of identification at the micro-level through which identification is constituted and continuously negotiated through the mimetic process of everyday life.
著者
Taro OISHI
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.74, no.2, pp.117-131, 2001-12-01 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
34

Recently, historical and cultural geographers have considered ethnic homeland to be an important concept, Because the emotional bonding between an ethnic group and a region is emphasized in this concept, ethnic groups must be examined within their regional context. In this paper, the author examines the ethnic persistence of the Acadians, a francophone group in New Brunswick, Canada. Although French settlers started to immigrate to Nova Scotia in the early seventeenth century, they became a minority in the present-day Maritime Provinces of Canada in the middle of the eighteenth century, when Great Britain's hegemony was established. In spite of a tough environment, the Acadians established many institutions, and as a consequence their collective consciousness was developed by the late nineteenth century. In Grande-Digue, one of the Acadian parishes in southeastern New Brunswick, endogamy is still dominant, and the geographical territory for marriage partners is comparatively limited. Although there are many differences among generations, most spouses are selected among the Acadians. As a result, the French language is maintained as their mother tongue in all generations. These facts contribute to the maintenance of ethnic tradition. In addition to this, it is important for the Acadians that the regional economy has revived and that Moncton has developed as a regional city in the Maritime Provinces, because job opportunities have increased and the Acadians do not have to emigrate to other regions. The Acadians maintain their traits and also play an important role in the development of New Brunswick. These factors contribute to the development of Acadian homeland.
著者
Chris JASPARRO
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.74, no.2, pp.132-146, 2001-12-01 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
78

Since the end of the Cold War there has been growing attention paid to relationships between environment and security. Some scholars and policymakers have suggested that regional environmental protection provides a ‘soft power’ means by which Japan can contribute to its own as well as international security. However, there have been few studies devoted to articulating the links between environmental degradation and Japan's security. This study presents a case of how regional environmental problems affect Japan's security and strategic interests in Southeast Asia. The analysis suggests there are, in fact, compelling reasons for environmental problems in Southeast Asia to be viewed with concern from a security standpoint in Japan.
著者
Kazuko TANAKA
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.73, no.2, pp.119-138, 2000-12-01 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
43

A migration career, that is, a trajectory of personal migrations in space and time, is an important element in the understanding of urban residential areas. From this perspective, this paper analyzes and describes patterns of migration careers for South African people in Pretoria, South Africa. Pretoria was chosen as the study area because, in contrast with American cities, it is a city with less freedom. Sampled subjects were taken from groups of upper-class Whites, lower-class Whites and non-Whites. As for migration frequencies and motivations, there are clear differences not only between Whites and non-Whites, but also between upper-class and lower-class Whites. Each group shows a distinctive pattern of trajectories of residential shifts within Pretoria. Whites are characterized by much higher mobility than non-Whites. Their motivations and spatial trajectories are influenced by (1) the political oppression of apartheid, (2) economical affordability, and (3) a strong ethnical sense of belonging to their own communities. Spatial trajectories of South African migration careers are different from American ones. Both Whites and non-Whites in South Africa shift their residences within urban areas defined by the racial segregation imposed by apartheid. Americans move according to their preference of a place to live. This difference is derived from different urban histories; people and their lives are also different between the two societies. It should be noted that there is a strong interaction between people's urban lifestyle and the urban spatial structure. Residential differentiation is an important theme in the analysis of urban structures. Studies of migration careers in urban space are expected to give answers to fundamental questions regarding residential differentiation.
著者
Keiji YANO Tomoki NAKAYA Yoshitaka ISHIKAWA
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.73, no.2, pp.165-177, 2000-12-01 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
21
被引用文献数
6 9

The purpose of this paper is to carefully examine the spatial pattern of human migration during the second half of the 1980s, by using geographical information system (GIS) and spatial interaction models (SIMs). It should be noted that this paper is based on the full data set of the inter-municipal migration extracted from the 1990 population census of Japan. This paper firstly uses GIS to provide the features of the Japanese migration system based on municipality units. As a result, the two major migration patterns in the late 1980s are observed; influx of population to the Keihin metropolitan area from non-metropolitan areas, and to prefectural capital cities from other cities of the same prefecture. Next, Fotheringham's competing destinations models are also applied to the inter-municipal migration flows. It is found that the spatial distribution of accessibility parameter estimates has a significantly contrastive pattern: the estimates of the origins in the non-metropolitan areas are positive and show the agglomeration effect in migration process, while the ones in the metropolitan areas are negative and show the competing effect. These results suggest that accessibility parameter estimates reflect not only the spatial configuration of origins and destinations, but also the preference of migrants for the large metropolitan areas reflecting the Japanese core-periphery structure and the business cycle in the boom period of the late 1980s.
著者
Masatoshi YOSHINO
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.73, no.2, pp.178-190, 2000-12-01 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
40

Environmental change, particularly climatic change during the recent years, and its impact on rice production in Thailand and in Monsoon Asia were dealt with. First, it was pointed out that Thailand is situated roughly on the northeastern border of the area dominated by the SW monsoon in South Asia in the northern summer. On the other hand, it is located on the southwestern border of the prevailing NE monsoon in Southeast Asia in the northern winter. So Thailand is located in the most sensitive region for year-to-year change of the monsoons. Secondly, differences of precipitation and rice production between the El Nino years and the La Nina years in South Asia and Southeast Asia, including Thailand were dealt with. It is shown that a decrease in the El Nino years and, in contrast, an increase in the La Nina years is obvious. This is clearer in South Asia than in Southeast Asia, where there are some exceptional cases. Thirdly, examples in Northeast Thailand were presented. It is interesting to note that the differences of precipitation between 1992 (dry year) and 1994 (wet year) were negative, but the rice yield in the dry season was positive. This was considered to be a result of rapid technological development in the provinces of Northeast Thailand in the early 1990s, excepting the provinces of the surrounding mountainous or border region. Lastly, the concluding remarks took into consideration environmental problems on the global and Monsoon Asian scale as well as those in Thailand on a regional scale.
著者
Tamiko KURIHARA
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.73, no.2, pp.191-206, 2000-12-01 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
69

The purpose of this paper is to clarify economic activities and strategies of sogo shosha, that is, the nine largest Japanese general trading companies, in response to different markets, namely the United States and Canada, during the early 1990s. This was a crucial period, due to the commencement of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the bursting of the Japanese bubble economy. The paper focuses on the characteristics of Japanese trading and investment patterns during the period in question, with particular attention to the activities of sogo shosha, in order to understand their current economic activities in North America. The American sogo shosha emphasize both offshore trade and domestic trade in the United States. The Canadian sogo shosha largely depend on the bilateral trade between Canada and Japan. Sogo shosha investment in the United States was more market-orientated, while that in Canada was more resource-oriented. The paper also includes exploration of the locational and functional implications of branches of sogo shosha. By changing their organizational operations and with concomitant functional changes in branches, four sogo shosha in the United States have pursued the localizing business strategies, while their counterparts in Canada have remained closer to the trading prototype. The examination of the different trading and investment patterns of sogo shosha in the United States and Canada reveals that they have recognized the United States and Canada as two distinct markets. It also shows the economic environments of the host and home countries have affected the economic activities of sogo shosha in North America.
著者
Loren SIEBERT
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.73, no.2, pp.207-224, 2000-12-01 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
24
被引用文献数
2 3

Spatial and temporal patterns of urbanization in Tokyo and Kanagawa were analyzed based on changes in administrative type from village to town to city to ward. Using a GIS, changes in these units between 1889 and 1995 were recorded from historical maps, half-decade censuses, and other sources. Many areas had sequential change (on a progression from village to town to city to ward), others had nonsequential change, skipping one or more steps, and some remain unchanged. There was an expanded core-city zone of nonsequential transition (from village or town directly to ward), an inland/coastal suburb zone of sequential transition (e. g., villages became a town, then towns became a suburban city), a foothills zone of nonsequential transition (e. g., villages and a town joined to become a city), and a mountaintowns zone of sequential transition (villages formed a town). These four zones form an alternating pattern of nonsequential, sequential, nonsequential, and sequential transition types. Areas adjacent to the core cities of Tokyo and Yokohama had nonsequential transitions, annexed as wards from villages or towns in the 1920s and 1930s. The next zone had gradual, sequential formation of mid-sized suburban cities, with most conversions to city occurring in the 1950s through 1970s. The third zone comprised satellite cities formed by nonsequential consolidation of villages and towns to form large mountain-edge cities, at various times during the century. The final zone had sequential change from mountain village to town. These urbanization transition zones reflect the differences in core, suburban, and satellite city growth patterns.
著者
Simon R. POTTER
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.74, no.1, pp.1-14, 2001-06-30 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
22

The history of Japanese cartography, not being well understood outside Japan, requires further attention for scholars who do not use Japanese, including expanding the existing body of foreign-language knowledge and further explanations. In this context, the present article examines the Japanese vocabulary for “map” and sheds light on how the Japanese have viewed maps as artifacts. After a brief on the English word “map, ” the Japanese words which have functioned as generic terms for “map” are discussed in regard to their origin, meanings, and usage, as well as the cultural forces that influenced their coinage and/or mainstream adoption. Following this is a demonstration that even today the question of what word to use for “map” in Japanese has not been settled, there being three commonly encountered words, two of which have semantic defects and the third being recently derived from “map.” The final section notes that the record indicates that the Japanese have not considered maps to be sufficiently distinct to require their own designation, as well as that content and an understanding of the relevant English vocabulary, not necessarily the Japanese, determine whether an artifact is a “map” or something else in English.
著者
Kiyoshi SAIJO Daisuke NAGAOKA Masami FUKUDA
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.72, no.2, pp.202-210, 1999-12-01 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
18

The characteristics of landforms and coastal retreat resulting from thawing of permafrost called “edoma”, which is widely distributed along the Arctic coast in northeastern Siberia, are discussed. Edoma is composed of massive ground ice containing evenly scattered frozen soil pillars, and underlain by ice-poor silty sediments. The meteorological data at some adjacent locations indicate that thawing is active from mid June to mid September. Four landform units: upper flat, upper cliff, middle gentle slope, and lower cliff, are recognized from inland to seaside near the coastline on which edoma is exposed. Upper flat roughly corresponds with the top of the edoma, while many mounds formed by thermokarst subsidence are scattered on it. Thawing of edoma is extremely active on the upper cliff, and consequently the cliff itself retreats. Although much microtopography indicating active thawing of edoma is widespread on the middle gentle slope, downward thermal erosion seems to become ineffective in the lower horizon of edoma because the underlayer of edoma consists of ice-poor silt which does not suffer considerable morphological change by thawing. The lower cliff which directly faces the sea is exposed to thermal erosion by waves, and a notch is successively formed at the base. Sudden coastal retreat amounting to several meters is expected after the notch becomes deep enough to collapse. These processes are controlled by the characteristics of material, structure, and stratigraphy of the permafrost in this area.
著者
Takaaki NIHEI
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.73, no.1, pp.27-45, 2000-06-30 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
31
被引用文献数
1 1

Graduate student, Institute of Geoscience, University of Tsukuba, Abstract: A large amount of fossil fuel energy is used in modern agriculture. From an ecological aspect, the fossil fuel energy fixed in industrial products such as chemical fertilizers and herbicides makes agriculture inefficient. Agricultural practice needs to be aware of energy efficiency to implement low input management and to reduce the environmental impact. This study demonstrates a method of calculating the input-output energy ratio for 32 crops and examines the changes in the energy efficiency of crop production in Japan from 1970 to 1990. The results at the country level show that the input-output energy ratio changed from 2.0 to 1.2 in the two decades. The primary reason for this decline is due to the increase in the planted area of greenhouse vegetables, whose input-output energy ratio is 0.02-0.07. The secondary reason for this decline is due to the decrease in the planted area of paddy rices, whose input-output energy ratio is 2.5-3.1. The results at the prefecture level show that the input-output energy ratio declines especially in Kochi, Kumamoto and Okinawa prefecture, whose percentages of planted area of greenhouse vegetables are more than three times larger than the average for all the prefectures. The results presented also imply that agriculture in Japan has increased its impact on the natural environment through an increased use of fossil fuel energy.
著者
Pengfei WANG
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.73, no.1, pp.46-61, 2000-06-30 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
35
被引用文献数
1

This paper aims to illustrate the changes in a rural area called Rutang Village in the inner urban fringe of Beijing City. The landscape surrounding Rutang Village and its land use pattern appear very rural. However, in spite of this appearance most of the labor force in Rutang Village is engaged in industrial activities. In short, agriculture-oriented society is shifting to industry-oriented in the area. In other words, Rutang Village is going through a transitional period from a purely rural village to an industrial workers' village. The emergence of the transition is due to the development of township and village enterprises, and the advantage of the closeness to Beijing City. Its functions related to agricultural production are strengthened by the administrative orders imposed by the Government of Beijing City, for Rutang Village provides mainly grain production. A collective farm management system is adopted in order to fulfill production quotas. At the same time, outside labor force are hired to maintain agricultural production level. Rutang Village has formed an original agricultural production model. In the survey of Rutang Village, it became apparent that changes of land use, social and organizational structure and economic activity are due to changes of state policies which contribute to a liberal circumstance for peasants in the inner fringe of Beijing City after the reform and opening. Meanwhile, it has also become apparent that there are influences from external factors such as industrialization and urbanization interacting with internal factors such as agro-technical advance and changes in peasants' life styles.
著者
Kazutoshi ABE
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.73, no.1, pp.62-84, 2000-06-30 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
11
被引用文献数
2 1

This paper aims to examine the current situation in Japan's largest cities and describe the Japanese urban system, by analyzing the distribution of the management function (head offices and branch offices) of the country's largest private firms. This study is based on data for 2, 241 private firms. The status of cities under study is compared from various standpoints. An attempt is made to throw light on the inter-connections between cities. Finally, a model of the urban system of major cities is proposed. Twenty-nine cities were chosen for study (Figure 1), each of which has more than 10 firm head offices or 300 branch offices (Table 2). Clearly, the largest number (919) of head offices is found in Tokyo. This is followed by Osaka, in which the head offices of 314 firms are located. However, it should be noted that in recent years, more and more firms have adopted the system of multiple head offices (Table 3). Including such firms, the number of private firms having their head offices in Tokyo is 1, 105, which represents 49.3% of the total. Tokyo houses the largest number of branch offices, as well. As was the case for head offices, the city with the second largest number of branch offices is Osaka. After Tokyo and Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sendai, Hiroshima, and Sapporo are the cities with the most branch offices. The author analyzed the hierarchical relationships of branch offices (Table 5), the type of industry (Table 6), city territories served by branch offices (Table 7 and Figure 4), head office and branch office size (Table 9) and inter-urban connectivity (Table 10). The author proposes a model for the urban system based on the findings of preceding analyses (Figure 6). This model clearly shows the complex networks of inter-connections established between major Japanese cities.
著者
Yukio SADAHIRO
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.73, no.1, pp.85-90, 2000-06-30 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
11

This paper analyzes the accuracy of count data transferred through the areal weighting interpolation with respect to the geometrical properties of zonal systems used for aggregating spatial data. A stochastic model is employed to measure the estimation error caused in data transfer between incompatible zonal systems. The relationship between estimation error and the geometrical properties of zones is approximately represented in analytical forms. The major results are as follows: 1) the perimeter of the target zone and the area and perimeter of the source zones are crucial to the accuracy of the areal weighting interpolation; 2) estimation error increases in proportion to the square root of the perimeter of the target zone; 3) concerning the lattice system, estimation error is proportional to the square root of the perimeter and the biquadratic root of the area of the cell, and inversely proportional to the biquadratic root of the number of cells; 4) the hexagonal lattice yields the most accurate estimates among all lattices.
著者
Keiichi KATSUBE Takashi OGUCHI
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.72, no.1, pp.63-72, 1999-06-30 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
27
被引用文献数
16 21

Previous research indicated that the average slope angle in Japanese mountains tends to increase with increasing altitude. This paper examines the details of the change for the three ranges of the Japan Alps using 2.25''×1.5'' (ca. 50×50m) DEMs provided by the Geographical Survey Institute of Japan. Altitudinal changes in profile curvature were also analyzed. The results indicate that the ranges can be divided into three altitude zones. Zone 1 (< ca. 1, 000m) is characterized by an increase in mean and modal slope angle with altitude as well as concave slope profiles. Zone 2 (ca. 1, 000 to 2, 800m), which occupies the broadest area of the ranges, is characterized by increases in the mean slope angle with increasing altitude, but the modal slope angle is around 35 degrees regardless of altitude. The modal profile curvature is also stable around null throughout the zone, reflecting straight slope profiles. The ratio of hillslopes with an angle of ca. 35 degrees to all hillslopes increases with increasing altitude, suggesting that hillslopes converge into a characteristic form after long-term erosion. Zone 3 occurs in narrow zones near mountain summits (> ca. 2, 800m) where hillslopes are subjected to periglacial actions, wind erosion and Pleistocene glacial erosion. This zone is characterized by the decreasing slope inclination with altitude and convex slope profiles.
著者
Yasuo MIYAKAWA
出版者
The Association of Japanese Geographers
雑誌
Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.72, no.2, pp.75-99, 1999-12-01 (Released:2008-12-25)
参考文献数
15

The purpose of this study is to examine the mutation of the Japanese industrial orbit in the global economy through a case study of the Japanese motor vehicle industry, with particular focus on Toyota Motor. The locus of Japan between the Eurasian Continent and the Pacific Ocean has exerted a great influence on the mutation of the orbit that has expanded yet at the same time circumscribed the development of Japanese industries in the global economy, especially since the Meiji Restoration. The concept of locus in this sense has both temporal and timeless meanings, indicating a particular place as a historical entity in its relations with other places that is still alive and responsive to human endeavors. Owing to its locus together with sound entrepreneurship in the innovative ethos of industrial community, Japan was able to synchronize the first wave of the Modern Industrial Revolution from UK with the second wave of the “Information” Industrial Revolution from its industrial frontier, the U. S., at the time of Meiji Restoration. Consequently, Japan made a successful step in a century toward the Neo Industrial Revolution, the third wave under which industries have begun paying due regard to natural providence and human ethics, especially in the environment and welfare industry. Notwithstanding the expansion of the industrial orbit of Japanese firms under the keen competitive-cooperation structure of the global economy, Japan has managed to preserve a steady industrial system and to maintain a sensitive industrial sphere on the global scene.