A comparative study on changing Chinatowns in the U.S.A., Southeast Asia, and Japan.

本研究以美国、东南亚及日本为研究对象，搜集有关电子商务的书籍、文章及统计资料，并利用电脑建立电子商务文献资料库，探讨电子商务在美国、东南亚及日本的变迁及其地域性特征。他在日本的横滨、科比、长崎等三大城市和新加坡、吉隆坡、雅加达等东南亚城市的小城镇进行了实地调查，日本的小城镇都在打造独特的商业化民族城镇。虽然美国的一些老镇，如弗朗西斯科、纽约等，都是观光胜地，但随着中国大陆、台湾、香港、东南亚等地的新移民增加，大都市的郊区也出现了新镇。东南亚华人华侨的主要职能是为华人提供经济、社会和文化服务。因此，东南亚的大多数城镇都不是国内旅游的热门地区。

The aim of this study was to discuss changing Chinatowns in the United States of America, Southeast Asia, and Japan, and to consider their regional characteristics.The investigator has collected various books, articles, and statistical data on Chinatowns, and has made data bases of the bibliographies on Chinatowns by computer. He carried out field researches in the three main Chinatowns in Japan such as Yokohama, Kobe, Nagasaki, and in the Chinatowns in Southeast Asian cities such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta.All of the Chinatowns in Japan are making unique commercialized ethnic towns. Although some old Chinatowns in the United States such those in San Francisco and New York are sightseeing places, new Chinatowns have developed in the suburbs of metropolises as new comers from mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and so on, increased. Main function of the Chinatowns in Southeast Asia is to offer economical, social, and cultural services to the ethnic Chinese. So most Chinatowns in Southeast Asia are not popular regions for domestic tourism.