and the forming of the Japan Big Three (the 1990s) -- 2.6. From "shipping boom" to the downturn after the financial crisis …: Positioning Eastern Asia -- Notes -- References -- PART I: Japan -- 2. History of the Japanese maritime industry -- 2.1. The … shipping industry pre-World War II (WWII) and recovery from the devastation of WWII (the 1940s and the 1950s) -- 2 …