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Productivity Change and Mine Dynamics: The Coal Industry in Japan during World War II

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  • Okazaki Tetsuji

    (Graduate School of Economics The University of Tokyo 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-0033)

Abstract

In the 1930s and 1940s, the Japanese coal industry experienced huge fluctuations in production and labor productivity. In this paper, I explore the micro-aspects of labour productivity change in the coal industry during World War II using mine-level data, compiled from official statistics and original documents of the Coal Control Association (Sekitan Toseikai). The coal industry in this period was characterized by dynamic changes in market structure: a number of mines entered and exited the industry, and shares of incumbent mines changed substantially. These mine dynamics had significant implications on productivity. In the early stage of the war, many low productivity mines entered the industry which considerably reduced average labor productivity. The government and the Coal Control Association implemented a policy to concentrate resources and production on efficient mines during the war, which curbed the decline in average labor productivity. Despite the deteriorating environment during the war, coal production in Japan was maintained fairly well. One of the factors that made this possible was the policy of resource reallocation.

Suggested Citation

  • Okazaki Tetsuji, 2014. "Productivity Change and Mine Dynamics: The Coal Industry in Japan during World War II," Jahrbuch für Wirtschaftsgeschichte / Economic History Yearbook, De Gruyter, vol. 55(2), pages 1-18, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:jbwige:v:55:y:2014:i:2:p:18:n:3
    DOI: 10.1515/jbwg-2014-0012
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    Cited by:

    1. Tobias A. Jopp, 2015. "Did closures do any good? Labour productivity, mine dynamics, and rationalization in interwar Ruhr coal-mining," Working Papers 0085, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).
    2. Tetsuji OKAZAKI, 2022. "Designing wartime economic controls: Productivity and firm dynamics in the Japanese cotton spinning industry, 1937–1939," CIGS Working Paper Series 22-002E, The Canon Institute for Global Studies.
    3. Tetsuji Okazaki, 2022. "``Designing Wartime Economic Controls: Productivity and Firm Dynamics in the Japanese Cotton Spinning Industry, 1937-1939''," CIRJE F-Series CIRJE-F-1187, CIRJE, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo.

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