ABSTRACT
The first part of this chapter consists of five case studies in the manufacturing and construction industries.1 Two firms are near Tokyo, in the industrial areas of Chiba and Saitama Prefectures; and three are in rural areas, in Nagano Prefecture. Four of the case studies are medium and small firms. The fifth is a large enterprise — the patron of one of the small rural firms. The second section of this chapter will consider the outcomes of the industrial structures and processes operating in these five firms with regard to on-site management and labour relations, labour organization and the dichotomy of core and peripheral industrial relations.
