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Logistics and Supply Chain Resilience of Japanese Companies: Perspectives from Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Rajali Maharjan

    (Japan Transport and Tourism Research Institute, Tokyo 105-0001, Japan)

  • Hironori Kato

    (Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan)

Abstract

Background: Enhancing the resilience of global supply chains has become of increasing priority in response to recent natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This paper presents findings from semi-structured interviews with five Japanese companies conducted between November 2020 and February 2021 to examine the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on different aspects of logistics and supply chain activities and resilience strategies implemented. The interviews focused on firms’ financial performance and the status of preparedness, response, and future plans from the perspective of logistics and supply chain resilience. Through interviews, we also investigated whether existing logistics and supply chain resilience strategies helped the companies avoid, withstand, respond to, or recover from the pandemic’s impacts. Results: The results indicated that the interviewed companies experienced both positive and negative impacts from the pandemic on their logistics and supply chain activities and experienced negative impacts mainly on their financial performance. Conclusions: A certain level of preparedness was observed; however, the levels of resilience preparedness, response, and future plans varied among companies with different attributes, such as industry type and organisation size.

Suggested Citation

  • Rajali Maharjan & Hironori Kato, 2023. "Logistics and Supply Chain Resilience of Japanese Companies: Perspectives from Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-12, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlogis:v:7:y:2023:i:2:p:27-:d:1139393
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    5. Jethro Kiers & Jaap Seinhorst & Mirthe Zwanenburg & Klaas Stek, 2022. "Which Strategies and Corresponding Competences Are Needed to Improve Supply Chain Resilience: A COVID-19 Based Review," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 6(1), pages 1-17, February.
    6. Dmitry Ivanov, 2020. "‘A blessing in disguise’ or ‘as if it wasn’t hard enough already’: reciprocal and aggravate vulnerabilities in the supply chain," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(11), pages 3252-3262, June.
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    Cited by:

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