Functional Order and Spatial System of Cities as Connecting-Links in Wholesaling Activities

Abstract

In the previous report, the author revealed that the trading areas of wholesaling of cities are different to each other. It owes partly to the difference of the function of wholesalers in distribution routes of goods. Therefore, in this paper, he attempts to examine respectively the intercity connection of competent city in Tohoku, by means of analysing the characteristic functions of wholesalers in each city.According to Figure 1, which shows the general trend of buying market areas in Japan by prefectural unit, many prefectures import goods from Tokyo, Osaka and Aichi, and in the regional circulation of goods Miyagi, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Kagawa Prefectures are the origins in each region. Concerning the Tohoku region, each prefecture imports high percentage of goods from Tokyo, followed by Miyagi, and the destinations from each prefecture are limited only to one or two neighboring prefectures, with the exceptional case of Miyagi. Tokyo and Osaka Prefectures include the largest cities; Tokyo and Osaka in the areas, respectively, and Miyagi, Hiroshima and Fukuoka Prefectures also include Sendai, Hiroshima and Fukuoka cities in respective prefecture. Accordingly, the figure suggests that Tokyo and Osaka are the national centers of wholesale distribution with the largest trading areas, and Sendai, Hiroshima and Fukuoka may be the regional centers of wholesaling.This hypothesis may be supported by confirming the similarity of function of wholesalers in some cities, and the functional difference between city groups such as regional centers, prefectural capitals and local centers. Accordingly, it is necessary to examine the characteristic functions of wholesalers in each category of cities, and their intercity connections. The selected 14 cities are classified to three categories;Regional center: Sendai (population: more than 300, 000)Prefectural Capital: Aomori, Akita, Morioka, Yamagata, and Fukushima (pop.: more than 150, 000); koriyama and Hachinohe are temporarily classified to the category.Local center: Goshogawara, Odate, Hanamaki, Ishinomaki, Yonezawa and Aizu-wakamatsu (pop.: less than 150, 000)The head offices of wholesale dealers in cities are analysed separately from the branch offices of the firms of which the head offices are located at Tokyo, Osaka and other regional centers.The results of the analysis are summerized as follows;Each category of cities has characteristic function of wholesaling, and has speciality about intercity connections, in respect to the origins and destinations in circulation of goods. Sendai is strongly connected with Tokyo, from which Sendai collects the largest amount of goods, and the destinations of goods extend not only to the city and other commercial cities in Miyagi Prefecture, but also to all over the Tohoku region. About the selling function of wholesalers, sales to wholesalers of the third step in circulation route are more important than to retailers.Generally, the wholesalers of the prefectural capital import the goods from both Tokyo and Sendai in high percentages, and sell to retailers and wholesalers of the final step located in the prefectural area. Wholesalers in local city import goods from Tokyo, Sendai and the prefectural capital, and distribute them to only a part of the prefecture. They are the final step wholesalers and distribute their goods exclusively to the retailers located near the city. These distinguished patterns are clearer in the cases of the branch offices.Thus, the function of wholesalers in cities is closely related to the nature of their buying and selling markets, and the relation between wholesaling functions of cities and the nature of trading areas of wholesaling of the cities is not so simple as the relation between the retail function of the cities and the nature of trading areas of the retail service.