Textile industry

Japanese: 繊維工業 - せんいこうぎょう

A general term for the silk-reeling, spinning, chemical fiber, textile, and dyeing industries. In a broader sense, it includes the secondary product sector of the sewing industry and knitting industries such as hosiery. The textile industry was the first mechanized mass-production industry to be established during the Industrial Revolution that unfolded in the UK in the late 18th century, and it became the basis for the establishment and development of capitalism. The establishment of the cotton spinning industry at the end of the 19th century was a benchmark for the establishment of Japanese capitalism, and it can be said that the silk-reeling and cotton industries developed from then until World War II while promoting heavy and chemical industries with foreign currency acquired by taking advantage of low wages. In the 1930s, Japan's cotton, silk, and rayon industries boasted the world's largest export volume, and the proportion of the textile industry in the total industrial production reached just under 40% in terms of employees and number of companies. Now that heavy and chemical industries have advanced, that proportion has declined significantly. During this time, the various fibers have risen and fallen markedly, with emphasis shifting from traditional raw silk to cotton, from cotton to rayon and staple fiber, and finally to the current synthetic fibers. In chemical fibers, a small number of large companies have a monopoly, and in spinning, the former ten major spinning companies have established their dominance, but in weaving and other fields, small and medium-sized enterprises have a high proportion. Japan's textile industry has been facing rapid competition from India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea, and since the late 1970s, the industrial structure has been improved, with a shift from a focus on raw yarn and fabric to a focus on the fashion industry. The appreciation of the yen since 1985 has reduced Japan's competitiveness in the international market, and in 1986 textile trade turned into a deficit. It has become difficult to respond to the shortening of the life cycle of textile products, which are becoming more luxurious and individualized. Japan's textile production in 1997 was 250,000 tons of natural fiber yarn and 1.07 million tons of chemical fiber yarn (long staple yarn and spun yarn), totaling 1.32 million tons. Of the natural fiber yarns, cotton yarn accounted for 180,000 tons and wool yarn for 60,000 tons, while of the chemical fiber yarns, synthetic fiber yarn accounted for 950,000 tons.
→ Related topics Chemical industry | Factory wastewater | Consumer goods industry | Chukyo industrial area

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

製糸業，紡績業，化学繊維工業，織物工業，染色工業などの総称。広義には二次製品部門の縫製品工業やメリヤスなどの編物工業を含む。繊維工業は18世紀後半英国で展開された産業革命において最初に機械制量産工業として成立した産業であり，資本主義の成立と発展の基礎となった。日本資本主義についても，その成立の指標が19世紀末における綿紡工業の成立に求められるばかりか，以後第２次大戦まで，製糸業，綿業が低賃金を武器に獲得した外貨で重化学工業化を図りつつ発展したといえるほどである。1930年代には日本の綿業，製糸業，人絹業は世界一の輸出量を誇り，繊維工業が工業生産全体に占める比重は，従業員，企業数で40％弱に達していた。重化学工業化の進んだ現在，その比重は著しく低下した。この間に各種繊維間の盛衰も著しく，伝統的な生糸から綿へ，綿から人絹・ステープルファイバーへ，そして現在の合成繊維へと重点が移ってきた。化学繊維では少数大企業の寡占，紡績では旧十大紡の優位が確立しているが，織布その他では中小企業の比重が高い。日本の繊維工業は，インド，パキスタン，香港，台湾，韓国などの急追に直面し，1970年代後半から産業構造の改善が行われ，原糸・織物中心からファッション産業への転換が進んでいる。1985年以後の円高は日本の国際市場における競争力を低下させ，1986年には繊維貿易は赤字に転化した。繊維品のライフサイクルが短くなり，高級化・個性化するなかで，その対応は困難なものとなっている。1997年の日本の繊維生産は天然繊維糸25万t，化学繊維糸（長繊維糸，紡績糸の計）107万t，合計132万tで，天然繊維糸では綿糸が18万t，毛糸が６万tを占め，化学繊維糸では合成繊維糸が95万tを占めている。
→関連項目化学工業｜工場排水｜消費財工業｜中京工業地帯

出典　株式会社平凡社百科事典マイペディアについて　情報

<<: Preconsciousness

>>: Transition elements - Sen'igenso