Ports and intermodal transport - institutions and organisations: the Setō Inland Sea, Japan, from archaic times to the present

Abstract

Port planning and development requires a complete understanding of institutional arrangements, regulatory frameworks and stakeholder interests all within a broader context of global trade and investment. Historical investigations have revealed key events and players that have changed institutional and organisational administration in commercial ports. This paper is a descriptive analysis of major "tipping point" events, the key players and whether institutions or organisations dominated, with particular reference to ports in the Ōsaka Bay region of Japan from archaic times to the present day. The theoretical framework is provided by the New Institutional Economics and a case study approach is adopted using ports at the eastern end of the Setō Inland Sea, Japan. The methodology involves a literature search and an interpretation of the relevant material in English and Japanese, site visits and interviews with port officers on how and when transformations occurred, noting, in the conclusions, implications for reform in post-COVID 19 Japan.