PEOPLE

Hashimoto: Yes, I think that was a big part of it. I think the boldness and the fact that we didn't try to do it on our own but rather increased the number of our friends were major points. In order to create a new framework, we need wisdom, high hopes, and funds for research and development.

Kato: Japan is a country with many shipbuilding companies.

Hashimoto: This is characteristic of Japan, whereas China and South Korea, are consolidated into a few companies. The strong power is created by aggregation. This is being discussed based on the views of various parties, but I believe that if we do not work in a cooperative system, we will lack competitiveness.

Kato: What should you aim for after establishing a cooperative structure?

Hashimoto: The aim is to gain global market share. To achieve this, we need to have the capability to handle parts and maintenance as well. That is why we need to boost the entire shipbuilding industry.

Kato: I see. If there is an infrastructure in Japan for human resources, we can expect new developments.

Hashimoto: But we are running out of time. The next few years will be crucial.

Kato: A few years? …It took only 20 years from the establishment of the Nagasaki Iron-melting Works and Shipyard in 1858 to the construction of the large ship 'Hitachi Maru'; in the 40th year, a large machine factory was built, enabling the production of land-use marine steam turbines of Sir Charles Algernon Parsons, one of the three founding fathers of the world's industrial revolution, in Nagasaki, ahead of others. We would like to revive this sense of speed.

Hashimoto: A look at that time shows how necessary human resources were. Quite a lot of people have been trained since the end of the Edo period. Japan was the first country in the world to introduce Engineering and Technology in the University, which means that engineers had a high status. It seems that a virtuous circle was created because there was a base of human resources, and an educational institution was built to absorb them.

Kato: The Royal Navy was also a significant force - the first Japanese factory manager was born at the old moulding yard around 1905, and it is clear that the British naval engineers had a considerable influence.

Hashimoto: It was a great decision to work with the UK. There was also the Lloyd's Register Group Limited, LR (the world's first classification society, founded in the UK over 260 years ago to improve ship safety) in the private classification society. Many of its members came from Japan to study in the UK, and people from the UK also came to Japan to teach.

Kato: Mitsubishi also established a commercial school and attempted the practice of training the people they employed themselves, didn’t they?

Hashimoto: Right. The school was established in 1878 by Morishita Iwakusu, a teacher at Keio University, who persuaded Iwasaki Yataro to establish it. After the commercial school, Mitsubishi established a technical school in 1899 and admission to it was a high-status thing. It was a prerequisite, a sure thing that one would be employed and have a secure future. I believe that the creation of such a trend played a significant role in the development of Japanese industry.

Kato: Why did Mitsubishi technical schools disappear?

Hashimoto: I think the main reason is that with the changing times, the rate of higher education has increased, and the number of applicants has decreased.

Kato: Oh. Still, Mitsubishi's pioneering history is amazing. According to the company’s history, it was Mitsubishi that first introduced industrial costing. It is also amazing that they had engineers competing for patents from that time. Or that they created a system of taking care of the whole family and had a complete welfare program. Or it is said that they also used the term "blacklist" from the Meiji era, so they kept track of engineers who were moving from one place to another. I am impressed by the fact that Mitsubishi introduced advanced things one after another without fear of risk.

Hashimoto: But that is the same for all those involved in the industrial heritage of the Meiji era. If you only think about yourself, you tend to become conservative. Or if we believe only the present is good enough, we cannot evolve. Japan has survived as an industrial nation because it has a history of taking on various challenges with determination and struggle for the future of Japan and for the people who will live in the future. I believe that this is what modern Japanese should learn from the legacy of the Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution.

Composition & Text by Akane Maruyama