Japanese and Finnish Post War Economy and Society
Comparative Perspectives
Japanese project page, Kyoto Sangyo UniversityEconomic Growth in Japan and Finland
The economic growth both in Finland and in Japan has been among the fastest in the world throughout the past 130 years. The average growth rate in Finland was 2.4 per cent and in Japan 2.8 per cent during the years 1871–2003. These numbers are higher than, for example, in Sweden, UK or in the US (Table 1.). Especially during the post war period one can find similarities in the growth figures: fast growth and rebuilding during the 1940s to the 1960s; fast growth from the 1970s and 1980s when compared to the other OECD countries; and an era of declining growth from the late 1980s onwards.
Table 1. Annual average growth in Finland, Japan and in
certain other countries 1871—2003, %
| Finland | Sweden | UK | US | Japan | |
| 1871—1899 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.7 |
| 1900—1914 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| 1920—1938 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 1.7 |
| 1946—1969 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 8.2 |
| 1970—1989 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 3.6 |
| 1990—2003 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
| 1871—2003 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.8 |
Source: Madison 2001.
A Collaborative Research Group
The University of Jyväskylä, Finland, and the Kyoto Sangyo University in Japan have established a research group to study and compare the post war economy and society in Japan and Finland. The goal is to produce a comparative article collection in English and in Japanese. Instead of having single authors writing about their specific themes, the aim of the group is more courageous: thematic articles in the anthology are written together by Japanese and Finnish scholars. Each article will offer not only a comparative perspective but also a possibility for scholars to Japanese-Finnish collaboration. We hope that with our approach we can achieve deeper knowledge over the issues to be analyzed and enhance multi-cultural collaboration. Our sincere aim is to create a real co-operation relationship between the Japanese and Finnish scholars.
Table 2. Research themes and researchers
| Theme | Japanese researcher | Finnish researcher |
| A comparison of financial collapse and recovery (1980/90s) | Yoshiko Nishimura | Jari Eloranta |
| The effects of education on economic development (human capital) | Yasushi Tanaka | Olli Turunen |
| A comparison of Nokia and DoCoMo | Chen Yun-ju, Naoe Imura and Masashi Ueda | Jari Ojala |
| Energy resources and regulation | Park Seung Joon | Esa Ruuskanen |
| Government and economic development | Tadashi Fukui & Kota Sugahara | Maare Valtonen & Merja Uotila |
| FDI and internationalization | Kazuhiro Igawa | Pasi Sajasalo |
| Relations to China and India | Motoo Murata | Jukka Jouhki |
| Managerial culture | Toshiaki Tamaki | Heli Valtonen |
| Information business | Yoshihiko Okabe | Turo Uskali |
| Shipbuilding industry | Takao Shiba | Petri Karonen |
| Corporate Governance | Naoe Imura | Pasi Sajasalo |
| Demographic change | Kentaro Saito | Ilkka Nummela |
| The role of economic theory | Toshiaki Tamaki | Timo Särkkä |
The Kyoto Seminar
October 28 – November 3, 2010
Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto, Japan
Organizer of the seminar: Prof. Toshiaki Tamaki, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto, Japan
Organizer in Finland: Prof. Jari Ojala, University of Jyväskylä, Dept. of History and Ethnology
The aim of the seminar to be organized in the Kyoto Sangyo University from October 28 to November 3, 2010, is to analyze and compare the post war social and economic development in Japan and Finland. The Japanese-Finnish team is preparing a research project to reveal new insights on the development of these two fast grown societies. The research will be carried out by Japanese-Finnish work pairs, each concentrating on one thematic issue and preparing a research article on their theme. Thus, in all themes there will be at least one Japanese and one Finnish scholar. The articles will be published in an English volume in 2012 and in Japanese 2013. The research is based on long-term collaboration between the research teams in Kyoto Sangyo University and University of Jyväskylä.
