GENERATION OF CONCRETE BLOCK MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY AND PUBLIC HOUSING IN POSTWAR JAPAN (PART 1): PERSPECTIVE FROM ONE COMPANY IN GUNMA PREFECTURE

This study focuses on Gunma Prefecture, which has the largest Concrete Block (CB) production volume in Japan, as an example to elucidate the generation of the CB manufacturing industry. To this end, this paper analyzes in detail the generation process of the CB manufacturing industry through a case study of Gunma Kenzai Corporation, the first CB manufacturer established in Gunma Prefecture in the postwar. As a result, it is clear that the development of Gunma Kenzai from the initial stage of CB manufacturing to the 1950s, when the company improved its production system, was strongly influenced by public housing.