Masaki Nakabayashi
(Institute of Social Science， University of Tokyo)
Abstract: Modern Japan and China shared great similarity in the aspects of external environment and export commodity structure, and particularly fierce competition arose between the two countries on the international market. The contraction of the French market together with the expansion of the American one provided external opportunity for the export of Japanese raw silk, while Japanese silk-reeling industry actively produced the raw silk of low-and middle-price and stable quality which met the requirement of the American market through cooperative nishing system. The internalization of brand and quality thus replaced the previous situation where quality control was dominated by western traders. Facing the challenge from the Chinese latures produced in Shanghai, different types of enterprises in Japan dropped out of the cooperatives, established modern factories and promoted machine-reeled raw silk, internalizing both quality control and incentive, thereby earned quality premium on the international market. The development mode of silk-reeling industry serves as a standard successful example for Japan to repeatedly boost economy through competitive export industries.
Key Words: Raw Silk; Quality; Organizational Change; Kaimeisha; Japan