水説：韓国が狙っている

震災直後に米国のフォード社の生産ができなくなった。
日本から部品が入らなくなったためだという。
日本の底力、まだ捨てたものじゃない。
支えているのは中小の部品製作所。
トヨタではないところが痛快だ。
（スラチャイ記）

(Mainichi Japan) May 9, 2011
Material, parts manufacturers join hands after disaster to stave off foreign competition
水説：韓国が狙っている＝潮田道夫
　＜ｓｕｉ－ｓｅｔｓｕ＞

Many manufacturers of materials and parts, which are indispensable to produce sophisticated electronics products, sustained serious damage in the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and ensuing tsunami, causing assembly lines at factories not only in Japan but also all over the world to grind to a halt.
　今度の震災で自動車やエレクトロニクス製品に不可欠の素材・部品メーカーが被災し、その結果、日本だけでなく世界中の工場の完成品の生産ラインが止まってしまうという事態になった。

Many Japanese materials and parts suppliers have more than a 50 percent share of the global market and without their products, neither smartphones nor automobiles can be manufactured.
　日本の素材・部品企業には世界シェアの過半を占めるところが多く、それなしでは自動車もスマートフォンも製造できない。

The Japanese manufacturing sector's advantage lies in the quality of its materials and the fact that they are parts manufacturers rather than makers of completed products.
日本製造業の強みは完成品よりむしろ素材・部品部門にある。

In other words, they are treasures of the Japanese economy.
貿易黒字のモト、日本経済の宝物だ。

However, their foreign competitors have gone on the offensive as supply from Japanese firms stopped following the disaster.
　海外勢が、震災で部材供給が止まったのを機に攻勢をかけている。

The South Korean government has proposed that Japanese materials and parts manufacturers should shift part of their factories to the country to disperse their risks.
韓国政府は日本の素材・部品メーカーは韓国に工場を分散しリスク分散すべきだと提案してきた。

Some people have reportedly agreed to the idea while many others question the wisdom of complying with the proposal.
これに賛成する人もいるそうだが、何を考えているのやら。

South Korea has some giant manufacturers of completed products, such as Samsung Electronics, but many of them rely heavily on Japan for materials and parts for their products, resulting in a huge trade deficit with Japan.
　韓国は完成品ではサムスン電子など強大な企業を有するが、素材・部品の多くを日本に依存、それによる巨額の対日赤字が問題化している。

To help reduce the deficit, South Korea has worked out comprehensive measures to increase the competitiveness of its domestic materials and parts manufacturers. Specifically, it has worked out a plan for manufacturers of 10 types of vital materials it has selected to overtake their Japanese rivals by 2018.
このため、「部品・素材競争力総合対策」に着手、１０大核心素材を選定し１８年までに日本を追い越す計画だ。

So far, it does not appear that overseas companies have replaced Japanese companies as major suppliers of materials and parts, but no one can predict what will happen to Japanese companies' dominance if the suspension of their manufacturing and supply is prolonged.
　これまでのところ、海外勢の目立った侵食はない模様だが、素材・部品の供給停止が長引くと何があるか分からない。

Japanese firms have formed an alliance in a bid to prevent their key technologies from leaking out of the country amid such concerns.
今回、核心技術の海外流出を防止するため、日本企業同士が「生産委託」で共同防衛する構えなのは心強い。

Under the alliance, any company that cannot produce materials and parts or supply them to its contractors because it sustained massive damage from the quake and tsunami will provide top secret information on its technology to another firm and commissions the rival firm to produce the materials and parts concerned. 　ユニークなのは、被災で顧客企業に納品できなくなった日本企業が別の日本企業に、製品のマル秘の製造情報を含め一時的に渡して委託生産してもらう。

However, once the contract expires, the rival company returns the technology and information to the contractor.
しかし、期限終了後は顧客も製造情報も返還してもらう、という取り決めをすることだ。

If a Japanese company made such a contract with an overseas firm, its technology would flow abroad and it would lose its customers to the overseas firm.
　海外企業にこうした委託生産をすれば製造ノウハウも顧客も奪われる。

However, the alliance between Japanese firms is mediated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), so there is no fear that their technology will flow out to its rivals.

If any company breaks the rules, it would be expelled from the domestic industry.
Such an arrangement can be made only in Japan.
しかし、この場合、経済産業省が仲介するためルール違反は起きない。
万一そんなことをすれば、その企業は「日本株式会社」のなかでつまはじきにあって存続できなくなる。

It would be too risky to leave the situation to the market in an emergency situation like the recent disaster.
　いかにも日本的、というか日本でなければ不可能な手法だが、非常時に市場まかせにしておくのは危険だ。

The government should play a leading role in responding to the crisis, by taking bold policy measures to respond to the situation.
危機はすなわち公的部門の出番である。

The measure to prevent materials and parts manufacturer' technology from flowing out of the country should be hailed as an excellent job by METI, which has recently developed a bad reputation.
前例にとらわれず大胆に動く必要がある。
海外への技術流出防止にむけてのスキームは近ごろ評判の悪い経産省として上出来ではないか。

The disaster has apparently not adversely affected Japanese materials and parts manufacturers' market share, but no optimism is permitted as it is expected to take several months before their disaster-hit factories are completely restored.
　これまでのところ、日本産業の「奥の院」への蚕食は軽微なようだ。しかし、完全復旧まであと数カ月は要するから、油断はできない。

In particular, they should be wary of takeover bids by foreign investors.
　要注意なのが海外資本による買収だ。

Since the government pursues what it calls the "Heisei-era opening of Japan to foreign countries," it cannot ignore the market mechanism, but should distinguish between fair takeover bids and unfair takeover attempts.
「平成の開国」をいう以上、市場原理は無視できないが、それはそれこれはこれである。買収にも「良い買収」と「悪い買収」があるだろう。

(By Michio Ushioda, Expert Senior Writer)
（専門編集委員）

毎日新聞　2011年5月4日　東京朝刊