Social research on contract renegotiation process under the currency crisis -Japanese companies in Thailand-

Research Project

Project/Area Number	12620008
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Fundamental law
Research Institution	Kyushu University
Principal Investigator	WADA Yoshitaka (2002) Faculty of Law, Professor, 大学院・法学研究院, 教授 (80183127) 北川俊光 (2001) 九州大学, 大学院・法学研究院, 教授 (60253382) PICHET MAOLANOND (2000) 九州大学, 大学院・法学研究院, 助教授 (70311834)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	和田仁孝九州大学, 大学院・法学研究院, 教授 (80183127)
Project Period (FY)	2000 – 2002
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2002)
Budget Amount *help	¥3,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000) Fiscal Year 2002: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000) Fiscal Year 2001: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000) Fiscal Year 2000: ¥1,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000)
Keywords	Thailand / Contract / Negotiation / Currency Crisis / Dispute Resolution / アジア / 国際取引 / 関係的契約
Research Abstract	This research examines this complex relationship between the formal legal system and informal modes of dispute resolution analyzing Japanese companies' contract behavior at the moment of Currency Crisis in Thailand. This research consists of a questionnaire survey followed up by interviews. Firstly, I sent questionnaires to Japanese-Thai joint companies in Thailand and also to 100% Thai-owned companies which thought that they had a relationship with Japanese companies, in order to discover their perceptions of the idea of contract and their behavior in times of Economic Crisis. I sent 209 questionnaires and received 57 valid replies from Japanese-Thai companies and sent nearly 400 to Thai companies with 132 valid replies. Secondly, after receiving the replies, I conducted 15 intensive interviews with Japanese businessmen working for Japanese-Thai companies. According to the result, for the most of Japanese-Thai Companies avoiding contract law and courts is reasonable to preserve good relationships and pursue long-term profits from Japanese point of view. Expectation that both parties will co-operate to maintain trust is the most essential part of their social relationship. Japanese companies tend to be more flexible in handle disputes and contract renegotiation process.