Technology Transfer from the West to the East ; Development of Railways in Japan, China and India.

1991 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 02044138
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for international Scientific Research
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: Joint Research
• Research Institution: Wako Univeristy
• Principal Investigator: HARADA Katsumasa Wako University, Faculty of Economics Professor, 経済学部, 教授 (80173079)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 密 汝成 中国社会科学院, 経済研究所, 教授 ; DEEPAK Kumar National Institute of Science, Technology, Fellow ; OIKAWA Yoshinobu Associate Professor of Rikkyo University, Faculty of Economics., 経済学部, 助教授 (10168841) ; TADA Hirokazu Professor of Daitobunka University, Faculty of International Relations., 国際関係学部, 教授 (80188250) ; KUMAR Deepak Fellow of National Institute of Science, Technology and Development. ; MI Ru-cheng Professor of Institute of Modern Economics History in China.
• Project Period (FY): 1990 – 1991
• Keywords: Technology Transfer / Railway Technology / Industrialization in Asia / Colonization in Asia / India's Railway / China's Railway / Japan's Raliway

Research Abstract

The objectives of this project is to trace the development of railways in India, China and Japan since the latter half of the nineteenth century with special reference to the processes of the introduction of technology and the attainment of technological self-reliance in these countries.
The emphasis has been laid on the analysis of the actual practices of the introduction of technology and the process of technological independence in these countries because this aspect has not been taken up as an object of systematic analysis and the collection and documentation of related historical document has not yet been done. An urgent task for us is to first collect related historical records from each country and then to analyze and systematize them from a comparative viewpoint.
For this reason in the first year of this project a field survey was conducted in China to collect records and to observe on the spot the management of railways. The same work was completed in India in the second year. At the same time views were exchanged with the counterpart researchers in both countries about the state of arts in this field of study.
The collection of historical records were conducted in the Economic Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and its library, and other local Academies of Social Sciences in the old Manchuria area. In India the same work was performed in the Library of Bombay University, National Institute of Science, Technology and Development, and the Library of the Rail Transport Museum in New Delhi. At the same time the on-the-spot observation was done about the operation and working of stations, rails, coaches and wagons in actual use. In the Rail Transport Museum in New Delhi were systematically displayed the rails, and coaches and wagons since the time of introduction of railways in India.