Historical Study on the Development of Construction Management System in Japan

This paper describes the historical study on the development of construction procurement system for public works from the middle age through the modern era to today. Author clarifies the characteristic of the development of procurement and management system as a part of soft technology such as tendering, contracts, and construction managements in modern Japan. The scope of the study also includes the clarification of the historical factors that affected and caused what and how the construction procurement system has been produced. Present issues in Japanese construction industry are stated as a background in the beginning. Then the traditional procurement and management system before modernization is clarified. This will followed by the study on modernization of construction in the latter half of nineteenth century, and the consideration on the characteristic and factors affected the development of construction procurement system for public works in modern Japan.