Effects of Air Transportation Costs Changes on Development of International Production Site-Empirical Analysis by Using Quantitative Trade Indices-

我们编制了2008-2010年日本贸易指数数据库。该数据库包括航空运输和海运等运输方式的贸易指数，从而可以衡量航空运输贸易的数量指数和单位价值指数。2003年及以后，油价上涨对航空运输成本产生了很大影响。对美国整体贸易的分析表明，对航空运输的依赖下降，海运或卡车运输的替代取得了进展。然而，当我们按贸易项目和贸易伙伴国家或地区更详细地分析数据时，我们发现对航空运输的依赖并没有下降这么多;而对航空运输依存度看似下降的主要原因是与对航空运输依存度低的国家或地区的贸易额扩大。就日本的贸易结构而言，与东盟和中国的进出口数量指数稳步扩大，不受短期经济和汇率波动的影响。这表明，由于日本与其他国家之间的国际分工的加强，区域内的贸易开始不受暂时的汇率波动或商业状况的影响。

We have composed the trade index database of Japan for 2008-2010. The database includes trade indices by transportation means, such as air transportation and marine transportation, thus making it possible to measure the quantum indices and unit value indices of air transportation trade.In 2003 and afterwards, the rise in oil price had a big influence on air transportation costs. Analysis of U.S. trade as a whole reveals that the dependence on air transportation fell, and the substitution of marine or truck transportation progressed. However, when we analyze the data in greater detail by trade items and by trade partner country or region, we find that dependence on air transportation did not fall so much ; rather the main cause of the seeming decline in the dependence on air transportation is that expansion of trade volume with the country or region in which the dependence on air transportation is small.As for the trade structure of Japan, the quantum indices of exports and imports with ASEAN and China are expanding steadily and are not influenced by short-term economic and exchange rate fluctuations. This shows that, because of the intensified international division of labor among Japan and those other countries, trade within the region is beginning to be not influenced by temporary exchange rate fluctuation or business conditions.