Background of the technology transfer failure at Kamaishi iron mill

Abstract

In Japan, from the last stage of Edo era, introduction of western technology was performed thick and fast. However, the failure example of many technology transfers are also included in these. This paper considers the cause of failure of the national Kamaishi iron mill, which was the greatest failure at that time. Lack of the iron demand accompanying with lacked market research, the Kamaishi iron mill generated a large amount of deficit. It was simplest way to avoid another deficit, that stopping operation immediately, engineer throw in raw ore into the furnace under operation, to make it blockade, in order to prevent pointing out the carelessness of preliminary survey, moreover, and to have laid on physical failure. This blockade of furnace was secondary factor as discontinuance of business, but there was a big meaning. Furthermore, this was useful to mitigation of the initial risk of the following private enterprise, which succeeded management, and had big influence when Japanese key industry growing up.