"Supplier Network and Aircraft Production in Japan, 1939-1945: A Case of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd."(in Japanese)

During the Second World War, aircraft production in Japan, which had been negligible before that, increased sharply. The rapid expansion of the aircraft industry involved numerous small and medium-sized machinery factories, which were organized to be parts suppliers by aircraft assemblers. Focusing on the case of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., a major aircraft assembler, this paper explores the expansion of the supplier network and its implication on aircraft production.