Japanese Industry Research Articles

Trademarks as “Global Merchants of Skill”: The Dynamics of the Japanese Match Industry, 1860s–1930s

The Japanese match industry is an early case of an industry that changed global market dynamics by building international competitiveness through combining low-cost and low-price strategies with product differentiation. This differentiation was achieved through the registration of trademarks for all matches exported, total quality control, and strong investments in graphic design to adapt brands and their imagery to different host markets and cultures. This study shows how trademark data provides alternative and complementary angles on particular economic phenomena—in this case, on how industries and countries build global competitiveness despite being technologically less developed.

The Summary of the History of Japanese Paper Industry

The Summary of the History of Japanese Paper Industry

Research The Strengths of The Japanese Tourism Industry Compared to The Vietnamese Tourism Industry

Research The Strengths of The Japanese Tourism Industry Compared to The Vietnamese Tourism Industry

Success factors for demonstration projects of small-scale stationary fuel cells in residential buildings

Worldwide small-scale micro-CHPs account for the largest share in the fuel cell market by units of installation (not by installed power output). Notably, the Japanese Ene-Farm program is responsible for over 400.000 micro-CHP fuel cell installations (until the end of June 2021). This is the largest worldwide deployment program and it reflects the long- and outstanding commitment of both the Japanese government and the Japanese industry to form a ‘Hydrogen Society’. In Europe, the situation is entirely different. European projects like PACE financed by the European joint undertaking for hydrogen and fuel cells give a positive impulse for fuel cell based micro-CHP, however it has to be judged as insufficient for a market transformation measure. Presently, only Germany, notably by the KFW433 program, is providing frame conditions for a rollout of fuel cell based micro-CHP systems. This article analyses the success factors for the implementation of Ene-Farm systems in Japan. It compares the different frame conditions of Japan and European countries like Austria and discusses the question whether an Ene-Farm project based on the Japanese success factors could be replicated in Austria. On a bird’s eye, a European perspective will be derived from the analysis.

Introduction of Industry-driven pre-competitive consortium activities to promote Microbiome Based Drug Discovery in Japan

The human microbiome is an emerging research area of interest with a series of reports on associations with various diseases and health, mainly due to advances in comprehensive analysis with the advent of next-generation sequencers. Fecal microbiota transplantation, a powerful method for modulating gut microbiota, has been reported to be surprisingly effective for certain disease populations that cannot be treated with conventional drugs. These results provide the possibility of microbiome modulation as a new approach for drug discovery. In the United States, the Human Microbiome Project was initiated in 2010 and many human microbiome data have been acquired, archived, and published. This has led to the emergence of a number of biopharmaceutical companies with clinical stage pipelines. Some of the most advanced pipelines are in the late clinical stage. However, issues such as the variability of data generated by different assays/protocols and the lack of data from healthy individuals as a reliable reference dataset should be addressed to further facilitate microbiome research and drug discovery based on human microbiome research. In Japan, in particular, established pharmaceutical companies tend to be reluctant to use these new approaches, as seen in human genome-based drug discovery. This may result in increased barriers to entry into emerging markets and a potential loss of opportunity. Since human microbiome research, especially gut microbiome research, has long been addressed by various research groups in Japan, microbe expertise and technology is high mainly in academia. It is important for Japanese industry to utilize the existing expertise of academic research groups. To accelerate the industrial use, Japan Microbiome Consortium (JMBC) was established in 2017, and its member companies include 33 pharmaceutical, chemical, food, and testing companies in Japan, including major companies and bio-venture companies. In this lecture, I will introduce the background of the establishment of JMBC and share the activities of the project for establishment of the measurement infrastructure and the project for construction of the database of healthy persons, which have been common goals. I would like to summarize the recent global trends and activities on drug discovery based on the human microbiome, as well as issues for obtaining approval and launching the drug. We would also like to discuss how we can activate drug discovery activities as one of JMBC's activities and lead to the creation of innovative new drugs.

Comparing the Effect of Intangible Assets and Macroeconomic Parameters on the Stock Prices in Firms Listed on the Stock Exchange of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq

Comparing the Effect of Intangible Assets and Macroeconomic Parameters on the Stock Prices in Firms Listed on the Stock Exchange of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq

Condition of Private Security in Ulrich Beck's Risk Society: A Study on Civilian-Police Cooperation Method of the Decentralized Policing Systemthrough Comparing the Korean and the Japanese Security Industry Law

Private security industry is still popular in Japan even though the country s crime rate has decreased consistently for nineteen years after 2002 to the point of about a quarter of the record of the year, which means the Japanese high levels of anxiety about their surroundings. This paper examines the general condition of Japanese private security based on Ulrich Beck s theory of risk society and illuminates the Japanese people s sense of crisis behind close civilian-police cooperation under the decentralized policing system. To this end, the characteristics and causes of growth of Japanese private security industry are studied, and the concepts of individualization and globalization are introduced in Ulrich Beck s risk society theory. In addition, the conditions of Japanese private security are analyzed in the light of Ulrich Beck s theory. As a result, it is argued that the concept of risk in Japanese private security is not a physical phenomenon, but rather an effect of high industrialization, which can be caused by individualization and mitigated or removed by globalization. This study is meaningful in drawing academic interest in this discussion of Japanese private security by emphasizing that this business performs a public function that reflects the collective sentiment of members of society in addition to just economic purposes.

CO2 mitigation through global supply chain restructuring

This study develops an integrated analysis framework, called scenario-based extraction method (SEM) using four different input-output methods—unit structure analysis, cluster analysis, extended global extraction analysis and structural decomposition analysis. For the empirical analysis, we used the latest 2014 World Input–Output Database and modeled the global supply chain (GSC) CO2 network structure induced by the final demand for one relevant industry in one relevant country (the Japanese automobile industry in this study). The cluster analysis based on the GSC network data revealed CO2 emission-intensive clusters existed in this network with overconcentrated CO2 emissions outside of Japan. From the SEM analysis, we also found that the restructuring of the Japanese automotive supply chain based on extracting the largest CO2 emission cluster (i.e., CO2 emission hotspot) reduces its global carbon footprint by 6.5%. Simultaneously, the restructuring increases CO2 emissions in all countries other than a hotspot country, particularly in some important locations for the substitute production. We conclude that Japan's current automotive supply chain can significantly reduce CO2 emissions through structural reforms. Our framework can help in designing appropriate policies for restructuring green supply chains.

A column generation-based exact solution method for seru scheduling problems

This paper attempts to address production scheduling problems in seru production systems (SPS), which is a new-type manufacturing system emanating from Japanese electronic assembly industry. As a typical parallel production system, SPS has high efficiency, good flexibility, and rapid responsiveness, which are achieved by reconfiguring serus, increasing, or decreasing workers to adjust the output in practical volatile markets. The seru scheduling problem in this paper is formulated as an integer programming (IP) model to minimize the total weighted completion time (TWCT). Then, by employing the Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition, the proposed IP model is reformulated into a set partitioning problem with a master problem and several subproblems. A branch-and-bound (B&B) algorithm is designed, and each node in a B&B tree is a linear relaxation problem (LRP) of the set partitioning problem. The LRP is solved by a column generation approach, in which each column is generated to represent a schedule of the seru in SPS based on solving the subproblems. Computational experiments are conducted, and the results indicate that the proposed column generation-based exact solution method is promising in solving the seru scheduling problem effectively.

Strategic management in Japanese tourism industry during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract In recent years, Japan proved to be one of the world’s leading countries in the travel industry by international tourist arrivals, with many other businesses relying on foreign travelers’ consumption within the country. The current Covid-19 pandemic crisis is a challenge for the tourism industry all around the world, as well as for Japan, where the entry restrictions have been strict since the start of the pandemic, foreigners not being allowed to enter the country for leisure purposes. However, even though the national income in this economic area decreased, it is still very high compared with other countries, and many businesses managed at least to maintain their activity on the market. In this paper, I will first analyze what were the strategic measures the Japanese government had taken regarding the national tourism industry during the SARS epidemic at the beginning of the 21st Century. Further, I will compare those measures with the government’s attitude over Japan’s travel industry in the first year of the current pandemic. Furthermore, I will make a comparison of the national income in the travel industry and the number of tourists by major areas in 2020 and the previous year, in order to introduce some strategic measures that could improve Japanese tourism for the next period, considering that the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games will be held this summer.

Research on the Foreign Direct Investment Factors of Japanese Hotel Industry in Taiwan-Taking Okura Hotel as an Example

Due to the impact of COVID-19 in 2019, the global hotel industry has been severely impacted by the disconnection of the tourism industry. However, even with the impact of the epidemic, the Japanese hotel industry’s investment in Taiwan has not stopped. What are the factors that drive the Japanese hotel industry to defy the threat of the epidemic and choose Taiwan as its destination for foreign direct investment? This is the research goal of this article. This article intends to adopt Push-Pull-Mooring (PPM)migration theory to construct the possible factors of why the Japanese hotel industry chooses Taiwan as its foreign direct investment destination. These factors consist of three effects to describe Japan Okura hotel’s migration. First, the push effect refers to factors that induce people to leave their place of origin. Second, the pull effect refers to factors that attract people to a destination. Third, the mooring effect refers to intervention variables for push and pull effects that facilitate or inhibit the determination of movement. The finding is that push and pull factors still play an active role in promoting Okura Hotel’s investment in Taiwan, even if the influence of some factors is slightly reduced due to the shift in international conditions. With the development of globalization and high technology, mooring factors are no longer the reason that hinders Japanese Okura’s investment in Taiwan. Combined with push and pull factors, PPM migration model can fully explain why the Japanese hotel industry chooses to conduct foreign direct investment in Taiwan, even if it is affected by COVID-19.It’s just that COVID-19 has not stopped so far, and the unstable situation on both sides of the strait may impact the original PPM model and affect the results of the analysis. It is worth further observation and research by subsequent researchers.

Characterization of Surimi Based Edible Film from Mackerel Tuna Dark Muscle

This research aims to determine the best concentration of surimi made from mackerel tuna dark muscle to produce edible film with characteristics according to JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) and to determine the characteristics of edible film product. This research was carried out in March to April 2021 at the Fishery Product Processing Laboratory, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Padjadjaran University and Soil Chemistry Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Padjadjaran University. The method used was experimental with Completely Randomized Design (CRD), and treatment with surimi concentration consisted of three treatments with three replications including 8%, 10% and 12%. Parameters observed were thickness, tensile strength, percent elongation and transparency. The resulting data were analyzed using ANOVA and continued with Duncan's test (α=5%). The results showed that an increase in the concentration of surimi made from dark muscle of mackerel tuna had a significant effect on thickness and percent elongation, but an increase in surimi concentration had no significant effect on tensile strength and transparency. Edible film with the addition of 8% concentration of surimi made from mackerel tuna dark muscle had the best characteristics based on the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) and statistical analysis, with a thickness of 0.096 mm, tensile strength 486.78 kgf/cm2 percent elongation 211.67%, transparency 5, 72 and 94.28% clarity.

EXCESS CAPACITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF POLICY INTERVENTIONS: EVIDENCE FROM THE CEMENT INDUSTRY

AbstractStrategic interaction among firms may hinder the reduction of excess capacity in a declining industry. Policy interventions that attempt to reduce excess capacity may increase efficiency by accelerating the capital adjustment but may decrease efficiency by increasing the market power of firms and/or by distorting firms' divestment decisions. We study capacity coordination policies—forcing firms to reduce their capacity simultaneously—applied to the Japanese cement industry. Estimation results suggest that these interventions did not increase market power because reduction in capacity resulted in higher utilization of the remaining plants, and did not distort firms' scrappage decisions.

How to Build a Linkage between High-Quality Assurance Production System and Production Support Automated System

To maintain the planned production volume for potential disaster, the Japanese manufacturing industry needs to develop and rebuilt the global product that is to strengthen QCD (Quality, Cost, and Delivery). The keys to fulfilling this need are automated facility, human skills to operate the facility (production operator), and a production system incorporated with production data systems that activate the facility and human system subject to each overseas plant conditions. Therefore, the author has created a new system that ensures the necessity of building a new production system for global production, eliminates ambiguity among the processes of production planning, production preparation, production and process control, and formalizes and builds the linkage among the processes. This paper is to reveal the effectiveness of the above-specified objectives of the newly created systems. Especially the highly accurate robot production system has been tested and confirmed at Toyota Motor Corporation.

Tourism Disaster Risk Communication: Foreign Employees’ Preparedness and Involvement in the Japanese Accommodation Industry

ABSTRACT Tourism operators play an important role in risk communication during a natural disaster. This study focussed on foreign employees in the Japanese accommodation industry and explored their preparedness for natural disasters and involvement in the disaster risk communication process. Adopting the mental models approach as the basis for the investigation, semi-structured interviews were conducted with foreign employees working at traditional Japanese-style inns (ryokan). The results indicated that foreign workers often do not receive training on how to handle natural disasters at work and are excluded from the risk communication process. Furthermore, their knowledge of local hazards was limited. As this is a timely and important topic, future research directions are proposed to extend discussion on this topic further.

Domestic large-diameter log use in the Japanese lumber manufacturing industry: focusing on regional differences

ABSTRACT Japan’s postwar policies with respect to forestry management have led to the aging of planted forests and a shift toward large-diameter logs that has created a challenge for how to use such logs in the lumber manufacturing industry. In recent years, medium-diameter logs have been the predominant type, and there has been less demand for large-diameter logs. This study examines the Japanese lumber manufacturing industry’s consumption of domestic timber using survey data from 21 member companies of the Domestic Timber Sawmill Association. The results suggest that regional characteristics and the tree species consumed are the two main factors that drive the decision to use large-diameter logs. While current demand for large-diameter logs is considered low, the results show that demand is present, and there are signs of growing consumption of these logs within the lumber manufacturing industry. As the current machinery that handles medium-diameter logs depreciates, it is expected that companies will respond by either introducing machinery that can accommodate large-diameter logs or changing their products.

The Effect of Tourism Expansion on Firm Performance: Evidence from Japan

This article examines whether an increase in tourism has a direct impact on tourism and tourism-related companies in Japan. Tourism expansion is theoretically assumed to have a direct influence on tourism companies, and previous studies have found the connection between tourism expansion and tourism companies. This chapter considers ROA and ROE as company performance indicators and the changes in the number of foreign tourists as the measurement of tourism expansion. The effects of tourism expansion on corporate performance are examined by a random effect in panel regression analysis. However, the results are not supported by current theories. The research shows that tourism expansion does not have a significant impact on the Japanese tourism industry. The empirical findings offer valuable information on the future of the tourism-based Country Promotion Basic Act for Japanese government policymakers, and experts in related industries.

Migration outside large cities: a comparison of the hiring of migrants for the food processing industry in the United States and Japan

Recent studies suggest that the hiring of migrants in the food processing industry has increased the migrant population outside large cities among affluent migrant-receiving countries. This study examines how the U.S. meatpacking industry and the Japanese seafood processing industry, in particular, have developed a dependence on migrants; it does so to identify whether and how a common—thus cross-nationally generalizable—process may account for migration outside large cities. A comparative historical analysis revealed that, with significant national differences between the United States and Japan, including in the legal and institutional contexts of migration, there is little commonality in the processes through which the industries have come to depend on migrants. Yet, there is a similarity in the development of mass production. Such production necessitates an undisrupted availability of full-time as well as low-wage workforce, and migrants on both sides of the Pacific are employed to ensure this availability. Thus, while urban-centered migration studies often emphasize the growth of low-wage services or small-batch manufacturing as an economic driver of migration, this study argues that, outside large cities, a different pattern of industrial transformation is associated with labor migration.

Japan’s Rare Earth Strategy and Price Volatility on Tobacco Cultivation: How Demand Management Worked?

The two major light rare earth elements (REES) involved in Japan’s rare earth strategy: Cerium Oxide and Praseodymium Oxide, whether the price is affected by the demand management capability of the Japanese tobacco cultivation industry is the problems to be solved in this paper. For this aim, the monthly data from April 2008 to June 2017 was used to construct a model which takes into account the financial factors and demand factors for the two product by nonlinear methods, and use MSVAR model with regime-switching characteristic. The results are as follows. In general, different products have different price volatility characteristics. Even if the number of the regime is the same, the volatility connotation is different. Firstly, Cerium Oxide in the violent fluctuation regime has financial properties, and the financial properties of Praseodymium Oxide are reflected in three regime stages. Secondly, Japan’s industry factors have a significant change in the relationship between Cerium Oxide and Praseodymium Oxide to a certain extent. Among them, Information technology and tobacco cultivation Industrials as direct influencing factors have a counter-regulatory effect on the two product at certain price fluctuations, which reflects the direct demand management capabilities of Japanese companies, and Utilities and Telecommunication have a counter-regulation effect on Cerium Oxide and Praseodymium Oxide at certain price fluctuations, which reflects the indirect demand management ability of Japanese companies.

Characteristics of enhanced safety coordination between high-speed rail operators and manufacturers

The current study analyzes safety issues that emerge owing to complex inter-organizational coordination between operators and manufacturers of high-speed railway (HSR) rolling stock, a topic rarely discussed in previous literature despite the prominence of HSR as an advanced transport mode. Risk factors pertinent to inter-organizational coordination between HSR stakeholders and solutions for managing these risk factors are critically examined through the functional resonance analysis method (FRAM) of an authentic safety incident. The analysis is conducted using official investigative reports and accounts of the incident triangulated from multiple sources within the Japanese HSR industry. Based on an FRAM-based taxonomical analysis of the theoretical solutions and considering the feasibility of the generated solutions, this study provides comprehensive and novel recommendations on the required characteristics of inter-organizational coordination for enhanced safety. In contrast to existing studies on safety coordination, the study finds that increased inter-organizational coordination between stakeholders directly involved in the process may not be sufficient to improve safety and that regulatory facilitation may be necessary. Moreover, the study concludes that the necessary coordination between stakeholders across the safety management process should be structured in order to conduct industry-wide integrated systematic risk assessments.