Vol. 74, No.1

Hiroshi SHOJI
Business activities in rural north China during the Republican era: technical introduction and activities of investors in Wei county, Shandong province

During the Republican era, business activities in China spread across rural areas. This article describes a case study on the structure of business activities in Wei county, which is located in the central part of Shandong peninsula.

In Wei, the establishment of a rural textile industry was followed by the growth of mechanical and dye manufacturing businesses. In particular, the production of diesel engines in the rural area was an important factor. New technologies were introduced in a number of ways, such as commercial activities, experienced workers, and individuals who studied abroad.

Businesses in Wei were supported by native Chinese capitalists who were mainly involved in the textile industries and commodity trading. In the 1930s, local capitalists in Wei began to unite, which resulted in a networked capital relationship. Huafeng, Xinfeng, and Minfeng formed the core of business in Wei. At that time, the banking system in Wei was weak; hence business activities were supported by the native bankers.

After 1935, the banks in Wei began to expand their businesses by lending companies money on security. In 1937, a spinning factory was planned by the banks. This was a new milestone for the Wei economy; however the plan never materialized due to the Sino-Japanese War.

Yoshiyuki MORISHITA
The housing policy in Prague during the interwar period: the social policies and socialist parties in Czechoslovakia

The aim of this study is to examine the countermeasures taken by the socialist parties in the social politics of Czechoslovakia during the 1920s and 1930s through the deliberations on housing policy in the city council of Prague. The city council and the mayors controlled by the Czechoslovak National Socialist Party (ČSNS) undertook the housing policy in order to solve the housing shortage for the lower class. ČSNS mainly tried to build cheap and small apartments in the suburbs but could not implement a project such as in Vienna or Frankfurt, where the respective socialist parties built apartments with the cooperation of famous architects, because of the multi-party coalition system in the city council. The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia strongly criticized the policy of ČSNS and other parties for the shortage of apartments and high rents for the lower class. The housing policy in Prague shows us the limitations of creating a welfare state in the Czechoslovakian political system. A comparative study of housing policies of other European states will be an important step in analyzing the role of party politics in housing policies.

Isamu MITSUZONO
The expansion of the domestic market for the Uji tea industry during the prewar period: a study on the development of the mail order system

The purpose of this article is to examine the implications of the development of the mail order system in the Uji tea industry during the prewar period.
The following three points are elucidated. First, the reasons for the development of mail order in the producing district were the need to expand the domestic market due to a decrease in exports after the 1890s and to remove wholesalers who committed injustices by mixing in cheap tea without permission. Second, the use of mail order, which began with the maintenance of postal services in the producing district, enjoyed the height of prosperity in the 1920s but declined after the Showa panic of 1930. Third, the development of mail order had a direct influence on the wholesale and distribution system, which had to reorganize to comply with the system implemented by the producing districts. Because there were consumers who purchased tea by mail order directly from the producers, wholesalers throughout the country were no longer able to commit injustices.
In conclusion, the development of mail order became the driving force for the Uji tea industry to expand its domestic market.

Keishi SHIRATORI
Changes in the management structure of a regional bank during World War II: a case study of Ryo-u Bank

Until 1937, Ryo-u Bank took pains in dealing with its outstanding loans. After 1938, the bank changed its management policy to one based on writing off bad debts. In addition, from 1937 to 1941, the bank restored its level of returns on equity (ROE) by increasing its loans in the regions around Tokyo even more than it did in its home base in Yamagata.

The reason behind Ryo-u Bank’s acceptance of the Ministry of Finance’s policy to consolidate regional banks was its desire to keep its own level of ROE by adopting a strategy to absorb other banks with net assets. As a part of the changes in the bank’s management structure, its own deposit-absorbing sections were expanded, and its sections dealing with loans and exchanges were retrenched, thus lowering loan risks.

To conclude, the changes in the management structure of Ryo-u Bank during World War II can hardly be said to have been connected with the restructuring of the bank’s management in the postwar period.