Industrial Structures in Japan : Pyramidal Organization in the Automobile and the Electrical/Electronic Iudustries

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This research project is an attempt to grasp the overall structure of the Japanese manufacturing industry. In this case, however, when we speak of the structure of the industry, we have two meanings of the term in mind. One involves the size of an enterprise (from very large companies to very small ones), as enterprises of various sizes make up the structure of Japanese industry. The other meaning involves the close mutual relationships between enterprises of various sizes, through which final products such as cars or electric machines are manufactured. Within the very broad context encompassed by the term "industrial structure," it is the goal of this research project to examine both an example of a mass production industry, or so-called "market production industry," such as automobile manufacturing, and an example of small scale manufacturing, i.e., "Production on order." such as production of heavy electric equipment and related control systems.The subjects of this research project were the industrial pyramid structures in the Japanese automobile industry and electrical and electronic industry. On the top of each pyramid rests a large, world-scale enterprise, while the bottom is supported by a large number of self-employed subcontractors. In order to grasp a comprehensive view of Japanese industry, it is necessary to look at the pyramid form of organization, which is the basic unit of the Japanese manufacturing industry.