Social research on contract renegotiation process under the currency crisis -Japanese companies in Thailand-

本研究通过对泰国金融危机时期日本企业的契约行为进行分析，探讨正式法律的制度与非正式纠纷解决方式之间的复杂关系。本研究通过问卷调查和访谈进行。我向泰国的日泰合资企业和100%的泰国人发送了问卷，本研究以自认为与日本企业有关系的国有企业为研究对象，探讨了日本企业对契约理念的认知以及在经济危机时期的行为。我发送了209份问卷，收到日泰企业的有效回复57份，向泰国企业发送了近400份，收到有效回复132份，其次，收到回复后，我对在日泰企业工作的日本商人进行了15次密集访谈，根据结果，从日本人的角度来看，大多数日泰公司为了保持良好的关系和追求长期利润，避开合同法和法院是合理的。期望双方合作以保持信任是他们社会关系中最重要的部分。日本公司在处理纠纷和合同重新谈判过程中往往更加灵活。

This research examines this complex relationship between the formal legal system and informal modes of dispute resolution analyzing Japanese companies' contract behavior at the moment of Currency Crisis in Thailand.This research consists of a questionnaire survey followed up by interviews.Firstly, I sent questionnaires to Japanese-Thai joint companies in Thailand and also to 100% Thai-owned companies which thought that they had a relationship with Japanese companies, in order to discover their perceptions of the idea of contract and their behavior in times of Economic Crisis. I sent 209 questionnaires and received 57 valid replies from Japanese-Thai companies and sent nearly 400 to Thai companies with 132 valid replies.Secondly, after receiving the replies, I conducted 15 intensive interviews with Japanese businessmen working for Japanese-Thai companies.According to the result, for the most of Japanese-Thai Companies avoiding contract law and courts is reasonable to preserve good relationships and pursue long-term profits from Japanese point of view. Expectation that both parties will co-operate to maintain trust is the most essential part of their social relationship. Japanese companies tend to be more flexible in handle disputes and contract renegotiation process.