This project made it the main subject to analyze comprehensively the relationship of the corporate finance, corporate governance, corporate behaviors, and performance in the prewar period Japan, using the database that consists of the micro level data of Japanese enterprises.
This database contains almost all of large firms in the prewar Japan (the number of firms changes with time before and behind 150-300 companies), and it consists of several parts as follows.
(1)B/S
(2)earning statements
(3)profit disposal analysis sheet
(4)share prices
(5)large shareholders
(6)board composition
The comprehensive database dealing with whole (1)-(6) does not exist, so our database has possibility to become very precious and useful one for academic circles.
We reported fruits of work at the Business History Society (Japan) held at Kyoto University in November, where Shunsuke Hanai acts as a chairman, and Hideaki Miyajima, Makoto Kasuya, Junko Watanabe and others report. In addition, we reported at Business History Conference held in Lowell in June, 2003.
As the results of work, eight papers (six Japanese, two English) are included in the result accounts (this is going to be published in the near future). In addition, many papers were published as parts of some academic journals for three years from 2001 to 2003.

In this research project, I aimed to make clear the managerial conditions leading to the development of traditional Japanese manufacturers in prewar days through the case study of soy sauce brewers. Research results are as follows.1. Data collection on the management of the soy sauce brewes both in eastern and in western Japan. As for large breweries, managerial data on Marukin Shoyu (Kagawa Pref.) and Kinoyene Shoyu (Chiba Pref.) could be collected. Marukin's rapid growth in Kansai soy sauce market from the end of the Meiji era can be explained through the analysis of the abundant documents on its management. And what influences cartel between the big three (Kikkoman, Yamasa, and Higeta shoyu) in Tokyo soy sauce Market from 1926 to 1933 exerted upon the market behavior of the outsiders are expected to be elucidated by analyzing the data of Kinoyene shoyu. On medium size breweries, managerial data of several manufacturers was discovered. Among them, Izutsu shoyu (Kagawa Pref.) was the most important in abundant volume of the documents left and in superior quality of the data, although the documents are now under arrangement and just part of them is available at present.2. Articles. The article on the management of Tazaki shoyu, a small brewer in Ibaragi Pref., from 1920s to 30s appeared in "Journal of Political Economy (Kyushu Univ.), 64-1・2, Dec.1998", where I pointed out that reciprocal trading network within small economy in rural area and the behavior of manager, based on the necessity to maintain his/her own family business, were supposed to be the keys to the development of traditional Japanese manufacturers. Abstract of the article was presented at the summer symposium held by the society of Socio-economic History, Aug.1999, at Osaka

This research project aims at analyzing the structural factor for the development of the Japanese silk industry during the inter-war period. The results of the project are as follows.1.Benefited from the help of Gunze Co., a lot of managerial documents of prewar Gunze Silk Manufacturing Co., which had grown to be among the top two firms in Japan as late as 1920, could be collected through this project. These managerial data, including unknown ones, would be of much use in answering two basic questions : why, unlike many other Japanese silk reeling entrepreneurs, did Gunze together with Katakura Company, another one of the big two, keep getting bigger in the size of the firm (the number of the basins) during the whole prewar period, and on what condition was the enlargement made possible?2.Although the bulky and new managerial documents of the small or medium silk manufacturers couldn't be discovered, the managerial analysis focusing on the cause and the process to bankruptcy in the Great Crisis was advanced with the already collected data on Makabe Seishi Goshigaisha (Makabe Silk & Co.) in the Ibaragi prefecture.Examining the role of the state for fostering the silk industry was also progressed through this project, focusing on the function of the prefectural authorities with the help of the silk and/or sericulture association

Since 1990. We have been engaged mainly in searching for and collecting the documents concerning our reseach, and investigating those documents. The summary of the research results is as follows ;1. The Informations of the Documents ; As our search for the reservation of documents, there are many documents not-opened to the public in the governmental institutions, such as Diplomatic Record Office, Library of the National Defense College Military Archives, Library of Congress and so on. These are still under or waiting for classifying. Similarly, many documents concerning the activities of companies still have not been opend to the public. It will be long for most of these documents to be opened to the public, but we intend to get them as early as we can. National archives of foreign countries reserve many documents. too. For instance, National Archives of Malaysia reserves Japanese documents issued by Japanese Military occupying British Malaysia, and National Archives of Thailand keeps the memorandum of negotiations between Japanese officers and Thai bureaucrats.2. Obtained Documents and the Results from Investigation ; We have got many documents, most of them are diplomatic, financial and military. We collected many published materials from Institute of Southeast Asian Studies of Kyoto University and other libraries. Some of the results of investigation are as follows ;(1) In late 1930s, Japan activated lier expantion toward the south-east Asia. Two special companies were newly organized and they competed with each other in investing to the area. Few Japanese companies had enterd to FrenchIndochina by mid-1930s, but one of the special companies broke through the way and massively invested to mining and other industries. (2) ln 1940, Japanese government planed the economic control policy of the South-east Asia backed-up with its military power. In 1941, Japan agreed the economic "co-operation" with French-Indochina. The negotitation with the government and the companies of Dutch-East Indies was carryed out by Seizah Ueshima, a director of Furukawa Electric Industry Co., who had close connection with the business group of the country, and Ichizoh Kobayashi, Minister of Commerce and Industry. Ueshima had been playing his role successfully, but Japanese alliance with Nazi-Germany shut the door to the economic co-operation. (3) Japanese companies competed with each other to get the profitable concessions in the South-east Asian countries under the Japanese occupation, and they oftenly draged the Japanese economic control agencies. But. under the war, they did not always gained. The South-east Asian branches of Mitsui Trading Company was heavily lost during the war. (4) Military money was issued, although temporarily, even in French-Indochina where Japan had not governed by her military until March 1945. (5) In Dutch-East Indies, Japan issued military money and, after April 1943, note of "Nan-poh Kaihatsu Kinko", but there were controversies between the central office of Ministry of Finance and the branches in the area

本研究の目的は,両大戦間期における日本蚕糸業の構造変容を、国内各地の様々な規模・タイプの製糸経営事例に基づき分析・解明することにあった。この目的に沿い、まず伝統的生糸生産地域長野県諏訪について岡谷蚕糸博物館所蔵の金一組、岡谷製糸合資会社などの大規模製糸経営の資料調査を行うとともに、東京大学経済学部所蔵の中規模経営小松組製糸所の資料整理を進めた(現在整理を続行中)。同県小縣群では丸子町郷土博物館館所蔵の依田社(営業製糸の組合組織)の資料調査を実施し、同社傘下製糸工場との資金関係が分かる貴重な経営データを得た。これらデータの比較分析により、同じく長野でも諏訪的経営タイプとは異なる経営類型の存在が裏付けられよう。次に後発生糸産地茨城については中規模経営谷口製糸所、真壁製糸合資会社、東光社の三製糸所経営資料の追加調査、経営データの入力・整理を行った。真壁合資については経営分析を試み、震災と契機とした経営の決定的悪化が確認しえたと同時に、両大戦間期における同社と横浜生糸売込問屋原合名との資金関係の全容を解明することもできた。この作業を通じ、中小製糸経営の場合、昭和恐慌以前にすでに経営的破錠を迎えていたものが少なからず存在したこと、また従来明確でなかった戦間期横浜生糸問屋の経営姿勢や製糸資金の放出状況が一定程度解明しえた。そのほか、新興生糸産地四国、九州については横浜市史編纂室所蔵の徳島の筒井製糸、神戸筒井商店(生糸売込問屋)の資料調査、大分県内製糸経営資料の調査をおこなった(大分県立図書館、大分大学)。大分の調査では資料散逸のため経営第一次資料の発掘はきなかったが、大分大経済研究所所蔵資料中にこれまで殆ど資料発掘が進んでいない神戸生糸市場に関する貴重な調査類が残されているのを発見、コピーにて収集した。こうした資料発掘調査の継続と各地経営の比較分析による経営類型の設定が今後の課題である

本研究の目的は、両大戦間期日本蚕糸業の構造変化を、国内各地の様々なレベルの製糸経営事例の分析を通じて解明することにあった。この目的に従い、まず国内最大かつ最先進の器械生糸生産地長野県について、昨年度に引き続き依田社経営資料(丸子町郷土博物館蔵)の調査を行った。現在分析を進めているが、同社の場合、営業製糸の組合組織というユニークな経営形態を採っており、同一県内とはいえ諏訪型経営とは大きく異なっていた点を確認し得た。東日本後発生糸産地については茨城県真壁町の中規模製糸経営谷口製糸所、真壁製糸合資会社、東光社の3製糸所資料の補充調査および経営データの整理と入力を昨年度に引き続いて実施した。同資料の分析結果では、東光社を核とした一種の営業製糸の組合に近い運営がなされており、依田社に近似した経営類型といえる。東日本の製糸経営は諏訪型に一括して語られることが多いが、以上の限られた事例分析からも諏訪型とは異なる多様な経営類型が存在していたと推定される(むしろ、諏訪型経営が特殊なタイプか)。他方、西日本を代表する大規模製糸経営の郡是製糸については従来より資料収集を進めてきたが、同社の主要な経営資料を所蔵している社史編纂室の調査を初めて実施し、さらに経営データの追加収集を行った。蚕糸政策については依田社資料調査の副産物として、工藤善助(同社社長)が委員を勤めた農林省諮問機関蚕糸委員会、中央蚕糸会の会議資料を収集することができた。同資料によって1920年代中盤以降における中央での蚕糸政策立案過程と政策をめぐる各地製糸経営の利害を克明に追跡しうるものと思われる。また、以上の収集資料を蚕糸業の全体動向の中に位置づけるべく、各次「製糸工場調査」のデータ入力を継続して行い、ほぼ完了した。今後は資料発掘の遅れている西日本を中心に製糸経営資料調査を継続し、各地経営の比較分析による経営類型の構築・設定を行いたい