CSR in Japan: A Historical Perspective - CSR WeltWeit

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hand, companies need respond their claim to survive in the society 2 .Figure2 Company, Market and SocietyCompanyMarketSocietyFigure2 is represented the relationship between company, market and society.While values that people in the society support change with passing time, onecompany wins competitors in the market and other company loses them. In theparticular period, some companies and business people are representative of themarket and society.This paper discusses the issues related CSR in Japanese society with historicalperspective. I would like to explore CSR, including the issues of the relationshipbetween company and society.2. Meiji Era: 1867-1911In Meiji Era, the government adopted the policy to form the industrial society andimported institutions from the West, including the legislation system and the2 Demise 2004, 27.3
company system. This era is the first period for the relationship between companyand society. Before 1867, Japanese society was a feudal society under the Tokugawashogunate. Although there was the Movement for Civic Rights and Freedom in the1880s, we could not consider that Japan was a democratic state in those periods.Eichi Shibusawa is called “the founder of Japanese Capitalism”. He took part infoundation of about 500 companies and about 600 social works 3 . He founded TokyoStock Exchange in 1878. He presented his idea, ‘The Analects of Confucius andabacus’. He reasoned that this would be the best way for Japanese business peopleto make success of their business. He thought that economy was consistent withmorals and that business people complied a moral code. There were the classes ofwarriors, farmers, artisans and tradesmen in Edo Period. In those days, tradesmenmeant business people had lower social standing. Some of them bribed governmentofficers actually. After the Meiji Restoration, Shibusawa thought that the privateprofits were not inconsistent with the public interest in the right business.The Japanese government tried to make a lot of money by industrial development.The government founded national enterprises including the coal mine, the shipyard,the silk mill, the railway, and the steelworks. Later, the government sold many ofthem to business people, like Yataro Iwasaki, at the relatively lower price. Iwasakiwas the founder of Mitsubishi combine, zaibatsu. Business people were closelyconnected with the government. When the relationship weakened, some businessdeclined. But the relationship between the government and business people waschanging on occasion. Mitsubishi Zaibatsu had good relationship with thegovernment, but once they lost a supporter in the government 4 . In those days, theygot into trouble and they left the shipyard.Companies with limited liability found since 1899, when the JapaneseCommercial Code was legislated. The Stock Exchange Ordinance was enacted in1878. Based on this ordinance, the Tokyo Stock Exchange was established in 1878.3 Sasaki 2001, 23.4Sasaki 2001, 26.4
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Page 11 and 12: issued the statement on social resp
Page 15 and 16: Legal compliance is defined here as
Page 18 and 19: Figure6 Three Models of a Japanese
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CSR in Japan: A Historical Perspective - CSR WeltWeit

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