HISTOR¥

Currently working in the Kluge Center of the Library of Congress, I found a report about Matsukata Masayoshi's 1899 publication on the adoption of the gold standard in Japan. As this report is probably quite rare (and its existence unknown), I scanned it into a .pdf file and uploaded it in the 'available for download'-node.

On 12-14 February 2007, the Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand will hold its yearly conference. The conference pages include the program, prizes and awards, and info on accommodation.

Today, September 1, is the 83rd anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake. Apparently coinciding with the anniversary, the Brown University Library now put the Dana and Vera Reynolds Collection of photographs taken at the time online; the Library's Center for Digital Initiatives maintains, and continues to develop, the site. The site contains more info on the project, as well as essays, and newspaper accounts of the event and disaster relief activities afterwards.

Call for papers:

Papers and proposals for sessions are invited for the second APEBH conference. The conference theme is 'Varieties of Capitalist Development and Corporate Governance', around which we expect to organise a number of sessions. As at past conferences, we also welcome contributions on other topics in economic, social, and business history. Early career researchers are encouraged to participate. Researchers across a range of disciplines are warmly welcomed including economists, historians of economic ideas, business and society, management scientists, archivists, and social historians. The conference organizers are particularly interested in attracting papers that examine developments within the Asia-Pacific region broadly defined and/or papers that provide an international comparative perspective.

Found through Economic History Services: The internationally-refereed journal, Accounting, Business & Financial History announces its sponsorship of a workshop to be held at the Business and Labour History Groupof the University of Sydney. From their website:

The subject of the University of Sydney workshop will be: `History of Finance and Financial Institutions in the Asia-Pacific Rim’. The Asia-Pacific Rim is the home to the most diverse and fastest growing financial systems in the world. The papers must be historically informed.

The Bank of Japan published the report of a workshop about the nature of Japan's prewar financial system. The press release (only in Japanese):

日本銀行金融研究所では、金融史研究の一環として、平成17年9月9日、「戦前期日本の直接金融と間接金融：戦前日本の金融システムは銀行中心であったか」と題するワークショップ（座長：香西泰・日本経済研究センター客員研究員）を開催した。 わが国の金融システムの歴史をみると、戦後は銀行中心であったとされているが、戦前については、１．銀行中心の間接金融型であったとする見解と、２．資本市場による資金調達を中心とする直接金融型であったとする見解が並存している。本ワークショップでは、この論点について、産業革命期から戦間期までの経済発展に伴う金融経済構造の変化を踏まえつつ、資金循環やリスク負担、コーポレート・ガバナンス等の幅広い観点から議論を行った。 　本稿では、本ワークショップにおける報告、指定討論者によるコメント、参加者による全体討論等の概要を紹介する。

The full report can be dowloaded as .pdf-file: ワークショップ「戦前期日本の直接金融と間接金融：戦前日本の金融システムは 銀行中心であったか」の模様; papers and discussions can be found here.

I haven't been blogging for quite a while, but it all has to do with the restyling of the Histor¥-page. Thanks to Hans Coppens for taking this weblog into 2006! It will be a year full of Open Access news, Japanese financial history matters and else. I also thank all the Histor¥-readers for their patience and support.

The School of International Business, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) will be organizing the 2006 Asia Pacific Economic and Business History Conference. Dates: 16-18 February 2006. Keynote speaker is professor Sugihara Kaoru of Osaka University's Graduate School of Economics.

In his larger piece about the Korean economy under Japanese rule, Abiola Lapite reviews Japanese imperialist rule on the Asian continent. There are some interesting arguments there, but I remain in doubt whether colonialism can be measured in terms of relative cruelty vis-a-vis relative profit to the 'oppressed' native population. Rather than judging contemporary Korean emotions in terms of their truth-value of what 'really' happened, analysis is better served by describing it as one political tool for putting Japan under pressure about its future political role in Asia.

I wanted to blog this item some while ago: History News Network is organizing an awards competition for history blogging:

Several months ago, our colleague, Sharon Howard, suggested that history blogging had grown so that we ought to have an awards competition for it at the end of the year season for such things in the blogosphere. After some discussion, we found that we didn't have the software for a voting procedure that would preclude stuffing the ballot box, so it would be a judged competition, but that everyone could make nominations in six categories: Best Group Blog, Best Individual Blog, Best New Blog, Best Post, Best Series of Posts, and Best Writing. Winners in each category will be able to display this Awards logo on their blog.