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very comfortable environment to live in. With the opening of the Hokuriku bullet
train line, access to Tokyo has become much better. The company intends to promote community-based development and use this in making its products.
By moving the company’s headquarters and functions to a provincial city, the
residential environment of the company’s employees has undergone a major change.
Rents are cheaper and with the shorter commute, employees are able to enjoy more
leisure time. It is hoped that this excellent environment will lead to the promotion of
health too.
Komatsu, a Japanese company that enjoys a major share of the world market in
construction equipment, has proved there is a significant difference in the lifestyles
of employees in Tokyo and in provincial cities.
Komatsu’s headquarters are based in Tokyo but in 2001, the company set forth
guidelines to move the headquarters’ functions and partially they have made a move
back to the city of Komatsu in Ishikawa prefecture, the birthplace of the company.
The company’s bases in Japan can be broadly divided into three groups: Tokyo,
where the headquarters are; Osaka and the North Kanto area, where the production
bases are located; and Ishikawa, where the company originates from. A survey on
the average number of children per married female employee in each group revealed
0.9 for Tokyo, 1.3–1.5 for Osaka and the North Kanto area, and 1.9 for Ishikawa.
The figure for Osaka and the North Kanto area is about the same as the national
average but Tokyo and Ishikawa are clearly different. The percentage of female
employees aged 30 years or older and who are married is 50% for Tokyo, 70% for
Osaka and the North Kanto area, with Ishikawa taking the top ranking at 80%.
Although the company system is the same, the percentage of female employees who
are married is lower in Tokyo and also the number of children is lower. On the other
hand, Ishikawa has a higher percentage of female employees who are married and
also the number of children is higher. In general it is said to be difficult the women
in executive positions to have children but that theory seems to only hold true for
Tokyo.
Japan’s total fertility rate in 2015 was 1.46. Although this represents a slight rise,
it is not high enough to stem the decrease in population. The government devised
measures to counter the declining birthrate but we are still nowhere near the target
of a birth rate of 1.8. The Komatsu company’s case may provide some hints for
overcoming this problem.
6.6 New Industries Created in a Platinum Society
6.6.1 Marunouchi Platinum University – Thinking
About Regional Issues in a Big City
If industries change and workstyles change, the knowledge and abilities required of
individuals will also change. The kind of mature affluence to which the Platinum
Society aspires is not something that is handed out. It must be seized, or at least
6 Platinum Industry and a New Society
very comfortable environment to live in. With the opening of the Hokuriku bullet
train line, access to Tokyo has become much better. The company intends to promote community-based development and use this in making its products.
By moving the company’s headquarters and functions to a provincial city, the
residential environment of the company’s employees has undergone a major change.
Rents are cheaper and with the shorter commute, employees are able to enjoy more
leisure time. It is hoped that this excellent environment will lead to the promotion of
health too.
Komatsu, a Japanese company that enjoys a major share of the world market in
construction equipment, has proved there is a significant difference in the lifestyles
of employees in Tokyo and in provincial cities.
Komatsu’s headquarters are based in Tokyo but in 2001, the company set forth
guidelines to move the headquarters’ functions and partially they have made a move
back to the city of Komatsu in Ishikawa prefecture, the birthplace of the company.
The company’s bases in Japan can be broadly divided into three groups: Tokyo,
where the headquarters are; Osaka and the North Kanto area, where the production
bases are located; and Ishikawa, where the company originates from. A survey on
the average number of children per married female employee in each group revealed
0.9 for Tokyo, 1.3–1.5 for Osaka and the North Kanto area, and 1.9 for Ishikawa.
The figure for Osaka and the North Kanto area is about the same as the national
average but Tokyo and Ishikawa are clearly different. The percentage of female
employees aged 30 years or older and who are married is 50% for Tokyo, 70% for
Osaka and the North Kanto area, with Ishikawa taking the top ranking at 80%.
Although the company system is the same, the percentage of female employees who
are married is lower in Tokyo and also the number of children is lower. On the other
hand, Ishikawa has a higher percentage of female employees who are married and
also the number of children is higher. In general it is said to be difficult the women
in executive positions to have children but that theory seems to only hold true for
Tokyo.
Japan’s total fertility rate in 2015 was 1.46. Although this represents a slight rise,
it is not high enough to stem the decrease in population. The government devised
measures to counter the declining birthrate but we are still nowhere near the target
of a birth rate of 1.8. The Komatsu company’s case may provide some hints for
overcoming this problem.
6.6 New Industries Created in a Platinum Society
6.6.1 Marunouchi Platinum University – Thinking
About Regional Issues in a Big City
If industries change and workstyles change, the knowledge and abilities required of
individuals will also change. The kind of mature affluence to which the Platinum
Society aspires is not something that is handed out. It must be seized, or at least
6 Platinum Industry and a New Society