Home > Statistics > Japan Statistical Yearbook > Chapter 8 Mining and Manufacturing > Explanations
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This chapter covers mining, manufacturing and related indices.
The section of mining contains statistics on mining establishments, persons engaged in mining, mining production, mineral products and ore deposits. Main sources of data are "Survey of Mining Trends in Japan" and "Current Production Survey of METI" both conducted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and "Survey on Domestic Mineral Deposits" by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy. For the supply and demand of petroleum and coal, see "10 Energy and Water", and for mining accidents, see "26 Environment, Disasters and Accidents".
The section of manufacturing contains statistics on manufacturing establishments, persons engaged in manufacturing, manufacturing production, manufacturing products and supply and demand. The principal sources of data are "Census of Manufactures" taken by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, various "Current Production Surveys" conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, various "Current Statistical Surveys of Supply and Demand" by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, "Survey on New Orders for Machinery" by the Cabinet Office. For the supply and demand of petroleum and coal products, see "10 Energy and Water".
The section of indices relating to mining and manufacturing contains various indices on the industrial activities of the mining and manufacturing. Data are obtained from "Yearbook of Indices of Industrial Production" published by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. For employment indices, wage indices and index of labour productivity, see "16 Labour and Wages".
The survey was initiated in the form of "Detailed Tables of Mining" compiled in accordance with the enactment of the Mining Act in 1905 in order to clarify the actual situation of mining throughout the country. For the years beginning 1952 until 2005, the survey had been conducted every year by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The Survey covered all the enterprises and establishments engaged in mining, and had been conducted by the mail survey method until the last survey in 2005. After that, this survey was integrated into the Economic Census.
The survey has been conducted monthly since 1948 with the aim of clarifying current productive activities of mining and manufacturing industries.
Survey items total about 1,800 commodities including coal, coke, petroleum, minerals, non-ferrous metal products, iron and steel, machinery, chemical products, textiles, sundries, pulp and paper, ceramic products, construction materials, rubber products, plastic goods and others. The specific commodities are selected according to the value of production in each industry and some are added as a supplement due to their indispensability. The survey covers all the establishments (or above a certain size) or the enterprises which produce (including process) designated mineral and manufacturing products, and is carried out for each industry by enumerator's survey method through Regional Bureaus of Economy, Trade and Industry or prefectures and by mail or online survey method through Regional Bureaus of Economy, Trade and Industry.
This survey was inaugurated in 1951 to obtain data on the actual conditions of the reserves of mineral ores. The survey was composed of A (every 2 years since 1964), B (every 4 years since 1963) and C (every 4 years since 1965) according to the kind of mineral. Beginning 2004, these surveys are consolidated into a single survey and will be conducted every five years by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy. As regards the mine lots where the mining rights are recognized for the ores to be surveyed, questionnaires are sent, referring to April 1 of the survey year, by mail or online survey method to the owners of the mining right and the exploiters. Coal, lignite, petroleum, asphalt and combustible gas are excluded from the survey.
The census was initiated in 1909 in the form of the Survey on Factories with the aim of clarifying the actual conditions of the country's manufacturing industry. Since 1947, it has been conducted annually by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
The census covers all establishments (except those owned by the national government) belonging to manufacturing throughout the country, and is conducted as of December 31 every year by the enumerator method (delivery and collection of questionnaires by enumerators) through prefectures, shi (cities), ku (ward), machi (town) or mura (village), and enumerators, and by the mail survey method in which questionnaires for all the branch offices are prepared at the head office. Beginning 1981, the survey structure was changed into what is called susokiri (a foot cutting method) so that small establishments with 3 or less employees, were excluded from the enumeration except for certain industries in most years, and all the establishments were only enumerated periodically, namely in the years ending with a number 0, 3, 5 or 8 in the Christian calendar. Establishments with three employees or less were excluded from the coverage in the 2007 and 2009 surveys, and the 2000, 2005 and 2008 Census covered all establishments.
Current production statistics on manufactured products are derived from the above-mentioned "Current Production Survey of METI" and the following "Current Production Surveys" as well as from statistics of the Japan Tobacco Inc. (through March 1985, the Japan Tobacco and Salt Public Corp.), "Annual Statistical Report of the National Tax Administration Agency" by the said Agency, etc.
The survey has been carried out every month since April 1954 by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It covers all establishments with 10 or more employees who are constantly engaged in manufacturing railway carriages, their parts, signals and safety equipment, and equipment for cableway operation. Questionnaires are sent by mail or online.
The survey has been conducted monthly since April 1950 by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It covers all shipyards with facilities for building or docking steel vessels or wooden vessels (including FRP vessels, etc.) of 15 or more metres long or of 20 or more gross tons, and questionnaires are sent by mail or online.
The survey has been conducted monthly since 1952 by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. It covers establishments that produce and sell drugs, medicines, related goods and medical appliances. Questionnaires are delivered and collected by enumerators or via the Internet.
The survey was initiated in 1950 under the name of the Livestock Products Survey by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. In 1971, the name of the survey was changed to the present one. The survey, consisting of an annual basic survey with complete enumeration, and monthly sample survey, covers milk plants and milk processing factories, and questionnaires are sent by mail or online.
This survey has been conducted monthly since 1966 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. It covers all factories producing processed food made from rice and wheat, and is carried out by the enumerator's survey method or a mailing survey method depending on the items.
The survey, conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, is a sample survey covering producers of such foods as vinegar, sauce, curry, and beverages such as coffee, cocoa. Questionnaires are sent by mail, annually, quarterly or monthly depending on the kind of questionnaire, and the replies are collected mail, online or by facsimile. The survey for seasonings, such as vinegar, sauce and curry, was terminated with the survey for fiscal 2008.
Statistics on supply and demand of manufactured products are obtained from the undermentioned "Current Survey of Supply and Demand", as well as administrative data and processed statistics of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and of the Japan Tobacco Inc. (through March 1985, the Japan Tobacco and Salt Public Corp). For the supply and demand of petroleum products, see "10 Energy and Water".
The survey was conducted monthly by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry from 1952. Since January 2002, the survey, with items, has been conducted by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy. The survey covers all the establishments that produce or sell non-ferrous metals, etc. and the establishments that consume non-ferrous metals, etc. for manufacturing and processing. Questionnaires are sent by mail, and the replies are collected by mail, facsimile, or online.
The survey has been conducted monthly by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry since 1961.The survey covered wholesale establishments dealing cattle sole leather, chrome upper leather and tanned leather within the jurisdiction of Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka Regional Office of Economy, Trade and Industry, and was conducted by the mail survey method. This survey was terminated with the survey for 2008.
The survey has been conducted monthly since 1953 by the Cabinet Office in order to obtain the data on the equipment investment as early as possible and to obtain basic materials for business trend analysis. The survey on actual orders is conducted at the end of every month, and the survey on the prospects is conducted at the end of every quarter, by the mail or via the Internet. The survey covers principal companies producing machinery selected so that the share of sample companies in national production makes about 80 percent in 1965. The number of sample companies at the start of the survey in April 1967 was 280, and most of them remain in the present sample. As the Japan Post was split and privatized on October 1, 2007, Japan Post Service Co., Ltd. has been transferred from the government and public sector to the private sector. Since the survey in April 2011, cellular phone, which was included in "communications apparatus", was discarded from the survey item.
The survey was in November 1948 as the Survey of Fiber and Textile Distribution in order to obtain basic data for the proper distribution of commodities under the post-war controlled economy. As the purpose of the survey was changed to economic analysis and adjustment of supply and demand, the name of the survey was also changed to Survey of Textile Products Trade in 1951, and to Survey of Fibre and Textile Trade in 1953. The survey is conducted monthly by the mail survey method at about 400 wholesalers dealing fibre and textile and their materials.
The indices are compiled monthly by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry with respect to production, shipments and inventory of finished goods, consumption and inventory of raw materials, production capacity and operating ratio of facilities, and inventory of commercial goods. The base period for the present indices is 2005 and the formula adopted is the Laspeyres-type. The items and weights of each index are as follows.
496 items for production and shipments and 358 items for inventory and 342 items for inventory ratio are selected by industries and commodities in consideration of their relative importance. Weights are based on the value added by industries, the value of production, shipments and inventory by commodities obtained from the Census of Manufactures.
Number of items is 163, selected from the items whose production capacity or facilities are collected in the Current Production Survey of METI. Weights are based on the value added used in the indices of production.
