Survival Strategies of a Local Industry and the Characteristics of Its Overseas Operations: A Case Study of the Glove-Related Industry in Eastern Kagawa, Japan

This study aims to explain the survival strategy of a local industry located outside the major metropolitan regions of Japan and characteristics of overseas operations of this industry from a geographical perspective through a case study of the glove-related industry in eastern Kagawa on Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s major islands. Since the 1980s, globalization of the Japanese economy has rapidly progressed; large firms in the manufacturing industry, such as textile, petrochemical, steel, automotive, and electronics firms, led the trend, followed by small and medium-sized firms. These firms began foreign operations in order to cope with rising personnel costs and to expand their offshore markets. Most firms are headquartered in Tokyo or Osaka; there are, however, not a few small and medium-sized firms headquartered outside the major metropolitan areas which have a significant share in sales in Japan and also are conducting active foreign operations.