Kiyoshi Hori's Publications
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Japan in 1990s:
Recent trends of SMEs, entrepreneurship, and industrial clustersPDF file available
Issued on Annual Bulletin of The Institute for Industrial Research of Obirin University, No.22 (March 2004) pp.81-109.
This paper is a contribution for the collaborated research project "Research on the Strategy to Promote Supporting Industry in ASEAN Countries and the Role of Japan - from Experiences of Thailand to Practice of Vietnam," in 2003-2004, sponsored by the Asian Center of Japan Foundation. The final conference of the project was held in the University of Danang, Vietnam on 27 January 2004.
Abstract:
This article consists of the following two parts. In the first part, the article gives an overview of the recent situation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Japan. Although most of them have been in serious situations during the 1990s, when is the time of recession, ICT revolution and market globalization, the economic climate could be positive for some entrepreneurial SMEs.
When we especially focus on the situation of Japanese manufacturing industry, many entrepreneurial SMEs can be found in some industrial districts, which are quite positive with new product/technology developments. Thus, on the second half of this paper, the recent trend of industrial districts in Japan was described. While briefing what has happened there especially in the last decade, the role of SMEs and of "craftsmanship" in the Japanese districts was concretely analyzed.
Consequently, two issues are pointed out. The one is the importance of communication in region. Manufacturing SMEs need market information in order to create new products and technologies. The other is the importance of “initial heterogeneous population.” Some preceding examples show that it is quite difficult and costly to establish an effective industrial district from zero. From this perspective, it would be more effective that they support some areas in which there is already certain level of heterogeneous proximity, than that they establish something from the beginning.
