The Trials and Tribulations of Accessing Corporate Archives in Japan

Authors

  • Tom Learmouth London School of Economics

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/shashi.2024.73

Keywords:

corporate archives, research methods, company history, business history, rubber industry, Mitsui, Bridgestone, Dunlop, archive access, Kobe, Kurume

Abstract

A lack of accessible corporate archival material has long been a challenge for researchers of Japanese business history. This note digs deeper into the key issues associated with accessing company archives in Japan and proposes several research strategies. It does so by documenting and analysing attempts to access company archives as part of my own research into the absorption of foreign knowledge and technology in the Japanese rubber industry between 1900 and 1965. The assumption is that the lessons from this research project are applicable to corporate archive access issues in Japan more broadly.

References

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Published

2024-04-26

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 1 (2024): Government and Private Concerns

Section

Research Notes

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Tom Learmouth

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