A Study on the relationship between a local industrial complex and a local society in the process economic restructuring

本研究课题以东北地区的机械、金属制造企业为研究对象，探讨泡沫经济后的长期经济低迷对制造业，特别是中小企业的影响。本研究的主要结论如下：（1）东北地区的制造业已发展成为一个专门从事大规模装配功能的分支工厂。以性别分工为基础的柔性是制造系统的驱动力。在泡沫经济之后制造业的衰退过程中，其系统灵活性使日本经济避免了高失业率。然而，我们注意到，支持性别分工的结构本身正在逐渐但稳定地发生变化，高失业社会出现的风险正在增加。分公司制在类经连会分包合同中的应用 ...更多信息 母厂设在东京地区的分包工厂之间的关系开始动摇，分包工厂正在努力建立更自主的公司间关系，特别是在地方一级。(2)虽然有人指出，中小企业之间的联网对于激活当地的制造业联合体是有效的，但政策是否能够产生这种联网进程仍然是一个问题。在岩手县的北上和花卷地区，作为企业间合作中介的协调员发挥了匹配、信任补充、翻译和孵化等功能，促进了企业间的组织学习过程。另一方面，我们发现，在这种网络活动不太突出的福岛县郡山地区，公共技术机构成为地方层面企业间组织学习的催化剂，它们的承诺促进了当地企业的网络化。少

This research project examines machinery and metal manufacturing factories located in Tohoku region in order to explore how the long economic slump after the Babble Economy has been affecting the manufacturing sector, particularly small- and medium-sized factories. The main conclusions which we draws from the project are as follows :(1) The manufacturing sector in Tohoku region has developed as a branch-plant, which specialize in the mass assembly function. The flexibility which is based on the sexual division of labor is a driving force of the manufacturing system. In the declining process of the manufacturing sector after the Babble Economy, its systemic flexibility enabled the Japanese economy to avoid high unemployment. We observe, however, that the structure which supports the sexual division of labor in itself is gradually, but steadily, changing and the risk of the emergence of the high unemployment society is increasing. The branch-plant system in the Keiretsu-like subcontracti … More ng relationship, of which mother-plants are located in Tokyo area, began to shake and the subcontracting factories are trying to build the more autonomic inter-firm relationship, particularly at a local level.(2) Although it has been pointed out that the networking among small- and medium-sized enterprises is effective in order to activate local manufacturing complexes, there remains a problem of whether policies can generate such networking processes. We explore that in Kitakami and Hanamaki area of Iwate Prefecture, which has spontaneous networks at a local level, the coordinators who mediate cooperation among enterprises play such an important role as the function of matching, trust-complement, translation, and incubator and enhance the inter-firm processes of organizational learning. On the other hand, we identify that in Koriyama area of Fukushima Prefecture, in which such networking activities are less outstanding, public technological institutions become a catalyst of inter-firm organizational learning at a local level and their commitments prompt the networking of local firms. Less