日本語に翻訳してください。(翻訳ソフトNG)
In retrospect. Fujitsu can arguably be charàcterized as one of the most successful companies in postwar Japan. Today, Fujitsu is by far Jàpan’s largest computer maker and, unlike its domestic rivals such as NEC or Hitachi, computers are its dominant field of activity, accounting percent of total sales in the fiscal year 1990.“ Moreover, Fujitsu appears to be one of the very few computer manufàcturers, if not the only one, capable of challenging the long undisputed position of the industry’s giant, IBM, which is now encountering increased competition from Fujitsu not only in Japan but also in all major international markets. Fujitsu’s ability to compete stems from its efforts in research and development which have enabled it to supply computers that are highly competitive in terms of both performance and price. In addition Fujitsu’s strong performance, not only in computers but also in the field of telecommunications and semiconductors, makes it possible for the company to offer an integrated approach to the transmitting, processing and storing of data, something which IBM, for example, has yet to achieve. When Fujitsu was established in 1935, however, it did not look as if it was set to become a forerunner in high technology. As will become apparent, Fujitsu’s metamorphosis from a manufacturer of switching and carrier transmission systems for the Ministry of Communications into a high-technology enterprise was a long and winding road. To understand the nature of this transformation, and to return to the question of whether spinning off divisions as independent companies provides conditions favourable to innovation and growth which would not exist in a huge multi-divisional concern, it is necessary to examine the internal conditions prevailing in Fujitsu from the time of its foundation and to reflect on its history and the activities of its leading engineers and managers. Founded at a time of mounting international tension, Fujitsu’s development up to the end of the Second World War was strongly shaped by the stringent conditions of Japan’s wartime economy. As
pointed out earlier, the company’s major customer was the Ministry of Communications. Thus Fujìtsu’s business activities largely depended on and fluctuated according to the Ministry’s demand for communication equipment. Given this dependence, and the fact that, following Japan’s invasion of Manchuria, resources were increasingly drawn away from the Teishinsho and other ministries to the military, Fujitsu encountered the problem of its principal customer being unable to pursue its policy of expanding Japan's domestic telephone network. As a result, Fujitsu suffered a direct drop in demand, which was only partially compensated for by increased military demand for communications equipment stemming from .lapan’s territorial expansion in China. Moreover, along with other private industrial companies, the management of Fujitsu became increasingly subject io government control. Its factories were designated as ‘Armycontrolled’(gunju kaisha),and the purchase of raw materials and sale of finished products were subject to the imperatives of economy. a controlled economy. The period from the company’s foundation to the end of the Second World War was thus characterized by scarce resources, labour shortages, increasing government interference, and, the destruction of production facilities by Allied air raids. It may seem as if the war had a wholly negative influence on the company’s development, but this was not entirely the case. During this period, the company learned how to overcome its dependence on foreign (Le. Siemens’) technology. Furthermore, a handful of young engineers, who would later become the driving force behind the development of the company’s computer business, gained useful experience which made them realize the crucial ìmportance of computer technology and its significance for Fujitsu’s future.