2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Technology Transfer and Corporate Governance of the Foreign-affiliated Companies in Prewar-Japan
| Project/Area Number |
15530241
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Economic history
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| Research Institution | DOKKYO UNIVERSITY |
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Principal Investigator |
NAGURA Bunji Dokkyo University, Faculty of Economics, Professor, 経済学部, 教授 (10007825)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2003 – 2006
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| Keywords | Foreign-affiliated Companies / Technology Transfer / Corporate Governance / Navy (Kure Arsenal) / Munition Companies / The Japan Steel Works / The Japanese Explosives Company / The British Shareholders |
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| Research Abstract |
The purpose of this research is to clarify the feature of Technology transfer and Corporate governance of the foreign affiliated companies especially in relation to armament and financial group in Japan before the second world war. We focused the Japan Steel Works [hereafter JSW] and the Japanese Explosives Company [hereafter JE].
As to JSW, a joint venture (big munition-steel company) by Britain and Japan, some features have been clarified. In this research we showed the various involvement in the top-management of JSW among three shareholders (Hokkaido Colliery and Steamship Co., Armstrongs, Vickers) and the Japanese Imperial Navy (IJN). And we stressed some frictions among those stakeholders caused by differences of those intentions (complicated corporate governance in JSW). On the other, we showed that orders of big guns, received from IJN, were well divided among two British companies, Kure Navy Arsenal and JSW. And we clarified that many managers and engineers of JSW sent by Kure
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arsenal made various important roles in the top ＆ middle-management and technology transfer of big guns.
As to JE (gunpowder manufacturing company), established in 1905 invested by Armstrongs, Nobel and Chilworth, and backed by IJN, has not been studied. We clarified various back grounds and affairs of its foundations, general conditions of Hiratsuka factory (the branch office of JE in Japan), and the progress of being acquired in 1918 by IJN. We showed them by analyzing the historical materials in both Britain and Japan as possible. This is an important case study in relation to how to accomplish technology transfer on one hand and to exclude corporate control by foreign capital on the other.
We tried and showed how to conceive totally the history that Japan, a developing country at that time, could receive arms transfer from Britain which had already attained a great power at the end of 19^<th> century, and Japanese munition and foreign affiliated companies could manufacture various weapons by themselves and Japan could accomplish 'a kind of military independence.'
We wrote a manuscript on the actual conditions of manufacturing various weapons by Kure arsenal in relation to the above topics, and researched munition-steel companies under Mitsubishi financial group's control, but not published them as well as total presentation on corporate governance of the foreign affiliated companies. Less
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