The history of small retailers' decline in Japan

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K13542
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 07070:Economic history-related
• Research Institution: Hirosaki University
• Principal Investigator: Lin Yanying 弘前大学, 人文社会科学部, 助教 (90846354)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 零細小売業 / 家族経営 / 商店街 / 日本的流通システム / 自営業 / 女性労働 / ボランタリー・チェーン / 商人家族

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aims to clarify the reasons and the process of small retailers' decline since the mid-1980s, from a historical perspective that takes into account the period of expansion and survival from the late 1950s to the early 1980s. Specifically, we focus on three factors: division of labor inside small family businesses, small retailers' business transformation activities, and the impact of distribution modernization policies. In conclusion, we found that the decline of small retailers was defined not only by changes in the external market and retail structure, but also by changes in the labor market and women's attitudes toward employment. It was also found that while distribution modernization policies had limited effect on small retailers, some of them were able to grow through business transformation.

Free Research Field

経済史、経営史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の学術的意義は、主に以下の3点にある。①経済史研究と流通論双方の架橋を図りつつ、零細小売業の新しい歴史像の構築を試みたこと。②社会調査の個票データや事例集等を活用して、それまで層が分析単位とされた零細小売業研究を個のレベルまで深化したこと。③それまで零細小売業に関連する流通政策研究が主に競争政策にあったのに対して、本研究は流通近代化政策に着目し、それが零細小売業に与えた影響について検証したこと。以上の研究成果は、従来の研究成果と補完しながら零細小売業が存続から衰退に向かう過程を解明することで、今後の流通政策の方向にも歴史的な視点から手かがりを提示することが期待される。