ABSTRACT
The Japanese administrative management technology that contributed the most to the world in the latter half of the twentieth century is typified by the Japanese production system represented by the Toyota Production System. This system was kept at a high quality level by a manufacturing quality management system generally called just in time (JIT). However, a close look at recent corporate management activities reveals various situations where advanced manufacturers that are industry leaders are having difficulty due to unexpected quality-related problems. Some companies have slowed down their production engineering development and are thus facing a crisis of survival as manufacturers. Against this background, improvement of Japanese management technology is sorely needed at this time.
