List of Graphs and Tables 1 The Concept Labour-Intensive Industrialization 1 Introduction 2 A Rather Undisputed but Disputable Concept 3 A Precursor? The Industrious Revolution of Akira Hayami 4 The Industrious Revolution of Jan de Vries 5 From Industrious Revolution to Kaoru Sugihara''s Labour-Intensive Industrialization 2 Debatable Assumptions about ''Western'' Industrialization An Empty Dichotomy 1 Introduction 2 Different Trajectories and Outcomes 3 Different Capital- and Energy Intensities 4 Industriousness in the West, before and during Industrialization 5 Was the ''Western'' Route Really Capital- And Energy Intensive? 6 Was the ''Western'' Route Really a Consequence of High Wages? 7 Was ''Western'' Industry Really an Urban Phenomenon? 8 Continuity and Change. Was ''Western'' Industrialization Really Large Scale? 9 Continuity and Change. Was ''Western'' Industrialization Really an Encompassing Revolutionary Transformation? 10 Matters of Definition, Measurement and Comparison. Some Preliminary Comments 3 Debatable Assumptions about the Abundance, Industriousness and Skills of Labour in Industrializing Japan 1 Introduction 2 Was Labour Abundant in Industrializing Japan? 3 Discussions about the Existence of a Labour Surplus and Its Consequences 4 Problems in Finding and Keeping Labour 5 Different Levels and Consequences of Transience 6 Was Labour in Industrializing Japan Industrious? A Quantitative Approach 6.1 Days of Work 6.2 Hours of Work 6.3 Participation Rates: Males, Females and Children 7 Was Labour in Industrializing Japan Industrious in the Sense of Diligent and Dedicated? 8 Was Labour in Industrializing Japan Skilled? 4 Was Labour in Industrializing Japan ''Cheap''? 1 Introduction 2 Direct and Indirect Payments to Labour 3 The Costs of Fixed Capital 4 The Costs of Raw Materials, as Compared to Other Costs 5 Was Japanese Industrial Labour Cheap Considering Its Productivity? 6 Differing Assessments of the Effects of Low Wages on Japan''s Economic Development 7 Intermezzo: Labour Productivity at the National Level 8 Basic Data with Regard to the Silk and Cotton Industries 5 Labour Intensity and Labour (In)Efficiency in the Silk and Cotton Industries 1 Introduction 2 Developments in the Silk Industry 3 Developments in the Cotton Industry until World War One 4 The Cotton Textile Industry after World War One: Increasing Capital Intensity, Rationalization, and Wages Lagging behind Increases in Productivity 5 Staffing and Labour Productivity in the Cotton Textile Industry in the 1920s and 1930s at the Factory Level According to Western Observers 6 Quickly Catching Up and Even Forging Ahead from the Beginning of World War One Onwards 7 Other Causes of Growth Apart from Low Labour Costs and Quickly Rising Labour Productivity 6 Labour Intensity Measurements and Comparisons 1 Introduction 2 Capital Stock 3 Matters of Scale 4 Capital Formation 5 Saving and Interest Rates 6 Labour Shares, Gini Coefficients and Consumption 7 Some Comments on Energy-Intensity 8 Labour-Intensity and Industrial Structure 9 Labour Intensity and Trade Structure 7 Coda: The Transition to Western Levels of Wealth 8 Concluding Remarks and Afterthoughts Appendix i Appendix ii Bibliography Index.