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ZEEB ROAD, ANN ARBOR, Ml 48106 18 BEDFORD ROW, LONDON WC1R 4EJ, ENGLAND 8022298 K a w a b e , No b u o JAPANESE BUSINESS IN THE UNITED STATES BEFORE WORLD WAR II: THE CASE OF MITSUBISHI SHOJI KAISHA, THE SAN FRANCISCO AND SEATTLE BRANCHES The Ohio Slate University , Ph.D. 1980 University Microfilms International300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106 18 Bedford Row, London WC1R 4EJ, England PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed in the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this document have been identified here with a check mark . 1. Glossy photographs________ 2. Colored illustrations 3. Photographs with dark background_________ 4. Illustrations are poor copy________ 5. Drint shows through as there is text on both sides__________ of page 6 . Indistinct, broken or small print on several pages\Z' throughout 7. Tightly bound copy with print lost in________ spine 8. Computer printout pages with indistinct________ print 9. Page(s) _____ lacking when material received, and not available from school or author________ 10. Page(s) ________seem to be missing in numbering only as text follows________ 11. Poor carbon copy______ ___ 12. Not original copy, several pages with blurred __ type 13. Appendix pages are poor________ copy 14. Original copy with light ________type 15. Curling and wrinkled pages________ 16. Other University M icrofilms Intemarionai 300 .N Z = = = s q . ANN A3 BOP Ml 48106'313! 761-4700 JAPANESE BUSINESS IN THE UNITED STATES BEFORE WORLD WAR II: THE CASE OF MITSUBISHI SHOJI KAISHA, THE SAN FRANCISCO AND SEATTLE BRANCHES DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Nobuo Kawabe, B.A., M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1980 Reading Committee: Approved By James Bartholomew Mansel G. Blackford K. Austin Kerr Adviser ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Having studied in both the United States and Japan, I am indebted to many people. I deeply appreciate the knowledge, advice, support, and encouragement that have been given me by the many people mentioned below. Professor K. Austin Kerr, chairman of my dissertation committee, was a constant source of support and encouragement in my studying as a Fulbright Student in the United States. Since meeting Professor Kerr at Waseda University in 1973, where I completed a doctoral program in com­ mercial science, he provided the stimulus for my research. While I was writing my dissertation, he always guided me through the welter of de­ tail in the historical documents. He devoted extraordinary time and energy to correcting my English, which is not my mother tongue. In addi­ tion, he supported me and my family in our daily lives. Without his continuous support we could not have enjoyed so much our stay in this country for the last three and half years. Professor Mansel G. Blackford kindly offered comments on the pro­ blems of my dissertation from the viewpoint of American business history. Thanks to his efforts, I was able to develop some aspect of comparative study. He has been a good friend and has helped me in various aspects of life in this country. Professor Merrit Roe Smith also stimulated my thinking and encouraged me to study in this country. Professor Frederic D. Sturdivant guided me in matters relating to business administration. ii Professor James Bartholomew contributed very useful comments from his vast knowledge of Japanese history. I would also like to thank Mr. Lane Moore, Archivist at the National Record Center in Suitland, Maryland, who helped me search for documents. Professor Alfred D. Chandler and Professor Mira Wilkins provided the original stimulus for this work. They taught me the importance of studying Japanese business in the United States. I owe much in my study to their work and insights. Professor Kin'ichiro Toba, who was my academic adviser at Waseda University, and who guided me to the field of business history, con­ stantly urged me to study in this country. Professor Yoshio Togai, with whom I studied Japanese business history, provided many insights. I am also indebted to such Japanese scholars as Professors Keiichiro Nakagawa, Morikawa Hidemasa, Koichi Shimokawa, and Isuke Koto, who gave me con­ tinuous encouragement while I was studying in the United States. Financial support for writing my dissertation — a Presidential Fellowship at The Ohio State University — is gratefully acknowledged. I want also to acknowledge financial support from the Foster Rhea Dulles Memorial Fund of the History Department, from Alumni Association, and from the Japan Society, which made possible my study at the National Record Center. I should especially like to thank my wife, Sumiko, who supported not only my studies but also our family life by joining the American work force and patiently enduring circumstances that were occasionally harsh. iii VITA July 24, 1945 ........... Born - Mihara, Japan 1969.... .................. B. A., School of Commerce Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan 1972 .................... M. A., Graduate School of Commerce Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan 1976 ................ Finished Doctoral Program, Graduate School of Commerce Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan 1976 - 1980 ......... Fulbright-Hays Student, The Graduate School, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio PUBLICATIONS "Marketing Strategy for the Growth of American Enterprises," Japan Business History Review, Vol. 9, No. 3 (June, 1975). " 'Made in Japan': The Changing Image, 1945-1975," Essays in Economic and Business History: Selected Papers from the Economic and Business Historical Society, 1976, 1977, and 1978, James H. Soltow, ed. (East Lansing, 1979). FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: History Studies in Business History. Professor Mansel G. Blackford Studies in Modern American History. Professor K. Austin Kerr Studies in History of Technology. Professor Merrit R. Smith Studies in Business and Society. Professor Frederick D. Sturdivant TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................ii VITA . ..................................................... iv LIST OF T A B L E S ................................................vii LIST OF CHAR T S...............................................viii INTRODUCTION ............................................ 1 Chapter I. JAPANESE BUSINESS IN THE UNITED STATES .... 14 Japanese Business in the United States before World War I I ............................ 15 Trade Structure between the United States and J a p a n .........................................19 Short History of M . S . K . ........................ 30 II. THE BEGINNING OF THE OIL B U S I N E S S .................... 45 The Establishment of the Relationship with Associated Oil C o . ........................ 46 The Establishment of Mitsubishi Sekiyu Kaisha . 57 III. THEOPENING OF THE SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE, 1919-1931 . 72 The Development of the Seattle Branch . 73 The Opening of the San Francisco Office . 81 The Development of a Management System . 86 IV. THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BRANCH, 1931-1935 101 From Representative to Branch Office . 103 The Development of the Fertilizer Business . 107 The Development of Transactions .... 114 The Improvement of the Administrative System . 122 v TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page V. SELL "THREE D I A M O N D S " ................................. 135 The Involvement in the Reorganization of the Industry ............................137 The Development of Marketing System .... 145 The Creation of Consumer Demand ..... 154 IV. THE PERIOD OF INSTABILITY, 1935-1940 .................. 168 Trade