Foundry Industry from Wartime to Postwar Reconstruction

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K13336
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 07070:Economic history-related
• Research Institution: Ritsumeikan University
• Principal Investigator: Nagashima Takashi 立命館大学, 産業社会学部, 准教授 (10733321)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 鋳物工業 / 技術格差 / 戦時統制 / 工業整備

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study analyzes the development and actual conditions of wartime control over the foundry industry from the Sino-Japanese War to the Pacific War.
Wartime control of the foundry industry began with restrictions on the production of pig iron castings in April 1938, forcing a shift to produce machine castings. Shortage of metal castings was getting worse in the machinery industry, distribution restrictions were applied to castings. In December 1940, the Cabinet approved the Guideline for the Reorganizing Machinery and Steel Products Industry, and the Guideline for the Reorganizing of Foundry Industry was set up. The foundries were selected, and the selected foundries were to specialize in the production of machine castings for specific applications, but things did not proceed according to the plan. Toward the end of the Pacific War, the lack of materials and the shortage of skilled mold makers became serious, and production stagnated.

Free Research Field

産業史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

戦前期に現れていた鋳物工業の技術格差は、戦時統制の下で鋳物工業が機械工業の基盤産業として位置づけられたことで、克服すべき問題として表面化した。戦時期に技術格差あるいは技術的低位性の問題が解消されることはなかったが、機械工業の競争力強化をするには鋳鍛造といった機械製造の基盤技術から底上げしていく必要性が戦時期に認識されたことが重要であった。