Abstract
This paper outlines the main changes in industrial location in Japan since the end of World War II. After a brief introduction, the paper discusses the growth of industrial regions between 1955 and 1965, and gives particular attention to the establishment of heavy industrial complexes in coastal locations and to the growth of assembly-line industries in inland locations. Some reference is also made to the role of local government inducement policies. The paper then turns to an examination of trends since 1965, and considers the significance of external diseconomies, changes in local government policy, labour shortage, improvements in transport and communications, and regional development policy. The paper argues that these factors have been responsible for a limited dispersal of manufacturing away from the main industrial regions. In conclusion, the paper briefly considers the implications of current economic trends for industrial location.
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Sargent, J. Industrial location in Japan since 1945. GeoJournal 4, 205–214 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00218577
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00218577