Suppliers' Associations in the Japanese Automobile Industry
Author(s)
Sako, Mari
DownloadJP-WP-97-09.pdf (2.832Mb)
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This paper analyzes the structure and functions of suppliers' associations (kyoryokukai) in the
automobile industry in Japan. The bilateral assembler-supplier relationship has received much
attention recently as a source of Japanese industrial competitiveness. However, this paper
argues that the hitherto neglected area of inter-supplier coordination in technology diffusion is
at least as important as the bilateral assembler-supplier relationship in accounting for the overall performance of the Japanese automotive industry. On the basis of company visits and a largescale survey of first-tier suppliers conducted by the author, the paper analyzes the reasons why suppliers' associations were established, why they continue to exist today, and their effects on economic performance.
Date issued
1997Publisher
MIT-Japan Program
Series/Report no.
MITJP (Series);
Keywords
automobile