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Upstart Industrialization and Exports: Evidence from Japan, 1880–1910

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2018

Christopher M. Meissner  and
John P. Tang Open the ORCID record for John P. Tang [Opens in a new window]
Christopher M. Meissner*
Affiliation:
Professor of Economics, University of California, Davis and NBER, Department of Economics, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616.
John P. Tang*
Affiliation:
Senior Lecturer, Australian National University, Research School of Economics, 26 LF Crisp Building, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia.
*
E-mail: cmmeissner@ucdavis.edu
E-mail: john.tang@anu.edu.au
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Abstract

Between 1880 and 1910, Japanese exports increased in volume, changed composition, and shifted from leading industrialized countries toward poorer Asian neighbors. Using a new dataset disaggregated by product and trade partner for the universe of Japanese exports, we find extensive margins accounted for 30 percent of export growth, with trade costs and market size associated with successful market entry. There was also considerable persistence in maintaining market presence and exit was rare. These stylized facts provide insight into both the country’s economic development, as reflected in its exported products, as well as the demand conditions of its trade partners.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Economic History , Volume 78 , Issue 4 , December 2018 , pp. 1068 - 1102
Copyright
© 2018 The Economic History Association. All rights reserved. 

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Footnotes

We have received valuable comments from three anonymous referees, William Collins, Dennis Novy, David Weinstein, and seminar and conference participants at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, Hitotsubashi University, University of Barcelona, University of Valencia, University of Zaragoza, the Australasian Cliometrics Workshop, and the Asian Economic History Conference. We are grateful to Adam Huttner-Koros and Dek Joe Sum for research assistance. This research is supported by the Australian Research Council (DE120101426) and a small grant from the UC Davis Faculty Senate.

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