Agglomeration and Local Innovation Networks in Japanese SMEs: Analysis of the Information Linkage
This lucid and informative book analyzes the problem of clusters in transition through studies of agglomerations at different stages of development in various East Asian countries.
Japan: Remedies to Activate Local Cities
The IT1 revolution in Japan has emerged since the second half of the 1990s, and economic activities and lifestyles using information apparatus have been established. According to the ‘2001 edition of Communication Usage Trend Survey’ from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication,2 the number of internet users at the end of 2001 was 56 million, and the population coverage 44 per cent. As those numbers in 1996 were 12 million and 9.2 per cent, respectively, it turns out that the internet has spread rapidly in recent years. The IT industry3 dealing with software, information processing, internet, and so on has received more attention, too; these services have become important in both quality and quantity under the development of communication network.
Chinese Automotive and Parts Industries
It is a fact that automotive assemblers and parts suppliers are located in the same regions, also that this heavy localization is a common characteristic of the automotive industry worldwide. In the case of the Toyota Group, the location of its headquarters and factories and those of the major member companies of Kyohokai are situated in Aichi Prefecture, or more preciously, 80 per cent are in Aichi Prefecture and of these 55 per cent are located in the Nishi-Mikawa district, in the eastern sector of the prefecture. Moreover, nearly half are found in Toyota City. The reason for this is that the parts suppliers are directly tied up with Toyota and have located themselves close to its factories in Toyota.1