University of Tokyo

Abstract
Survey Number 0603
Survey Title Survey on State of New Business Start-ups (special surveys), 2007
Depositor Japan Finance Corporation Research Institute
Restriction of Use For detailed information, please refer to 'For Data Users' on the SSJDA website.

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Educational Purpose Only available for research.
Period of Data Use Permission One year
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SSJDA Data Analysis Not available
Summary The National Life Finance Corporation Research Institute (now, the Japan Finance Corporation Research Institute) has conducted the “Survey on the State of New Business Start-ups” continuously since 1969 for the purpose of apprehending the state of new business. Since 1991, it has been conducted annually, resulting in the accumulation of data such as age at the start of new business and start-up costs, which can be used for time series comparisons, as well as the carrying out of analyses from a variety of viewpoints.

This year, it focused on new start-ups in “regional areas” and conducted a special survey that expanded the survey sample. Indicators of economic movement, such as the Research Institute’s National Small Business Trend Survey and government statistics, show large differences between regions. It hardly needs to be said that regional cities and towns are in difficult circumstances compared to metropolitan areas. Encouraging new start-ups is an important means for revitalizing these regional economies. Accordingly, this survey classifies the businesses that responded by their locations into “metropolitan areas,” “core city areas,” and “regional areas” to analyze the characteristics of new start-ups in regional areas, as well as considering their roles.

The “Survey on State of New Business Start-ups, 2007” (SSJDA survey number 0602), examines companies that have been trading for one year or less, whereas the “Survey on State of New Business Start-ups (special surveys), 2007” examines companies that have been trading for five years or less. Note that the special surveys include individual data from the general surveys. However, data that cannot be classified into “metropolitan areas,” “core city areas,” and “regional areas” are excluded from the summary.
Data Type quantitative research: micro data
Universe New start-ups
Unit of Observation Organization
Sample Size Sample size: 7,312, number of valid responses: 1,426 companies (valid response rate: 19.5%)
Date of Collection 2007-08-01 ~ 2007-08-01
2007/08/01
Time Period 2007 ~ 2007
Spatial Unit Japan
Japan
Sampling Procedure Non-probability: Availability
7,312 companies that had received financing from the Japan Finance Corporation’s National Life Finance between April and September 2006 and had been trading for five years or less at the point of funding (including companies yet to start trading)

7,312 companies within five years of startup (including companies yet to start trading) at the time of financing from among the companies financed by branches of the National Life Finance Corporation across Japan between April and September 2006.
Mode of Data Collection Self-administered writings and/or diaries: Paper
Mail survey (anonymous responses)
Investigator National Life Finance Corporation Research Institute (the Japan Finance Corporation Research Institute)
DOI 10.34500/SSJDA.0603
Sponsors (Funds)
Related Publications (by the Investigator) “Shinki kaigyō hakusho 2008-nenban: Chiiki keizai ni kōken suru shinki kaigyō” [White paper on new business start-ups, 2008: New start-ups that contribute to local economies], June 2008, National Life Finance Corporation Research Institute (ed.), Small and Medium Enterprise Research Center (in Japanese)
“Chihō ni okeru shinki kaigyō no tokuchō: 2007-nendo ‘Shinki kaigyō jittai chōsa (tokubetsu chōsa’ kara: Chiiki keizai ni kōken suru shinki kaigyō” [Characteristics of new start-ups in regional areas: From the 2007 ‘Survey on State of New Business Start-ups (special surveys)’: New start-ups that contribute to local economies], December 11, 2007, National Life Finance Corporation Research Institute (in Japanese)
Related Publications (based on Secondary Analysis) List of related publications (based on Secondary Analysis)
Documentation [Questionnaire]
Major Survey Items The survey items are the same as for the “Survey on State of New Business Start-ups, 2007.”

(1) Business overview
Management type (at start-up, now), number of employees (at start-up, now), industry, novelty of enterprise contents, whether it is a venture business or new business, franchise chain affiliation, main customers, frequency of contact with suppliers and customers, time it takes to reach suppliers and clients, frequency of Internet use, purposes of Internet use, whether or not respondent has a website/when respondent created it, (retailers only) composition ratio of sales by customers’ area of residence/composition ratio of sales by selling method

(2) Manager
Gender, highest level of educational attainment, main area where respondent grew up, location of school where respondent attained highest level of educational, place where respondent gained experience, area of residence immediately before starting business, location of current residence, main location of current business, occupation immediately before starting business, size by number of employees of workplace immediately before starting business, how respondent left immediately preceding workplace, things carried over from immediately preceding workplace, things carried over from somewhere other than immediately preceding workplace, working experience/number of years/number of workplaces as a regular employee, working experience and number of years as a non-regular employee, experience in jobs related to current business/number of years of experience as a regular/non-regular employee

(3) Main location of business
Population of municipality of main location of business, time it takes to reach nearest city with a population of at least 1,000,000/300,000/100,000 people, number of competitors compared to five years ago, place of main business location, ownership type of main business location and residence

(4) State of family/income, etc.
Spouse’s occupation, family members who share the same household income (by work status), income immediately before starting business (respondent, family), current business income/income from a source other than the business (respondent, family)

(5) History leading to start-up, etc.
 Motivation to start business, trigger for going ahead with starting business, breakdown of start-up costs, breakdown of sources for procuring start-up costs, date and age when respondent began preparations for start-up, start-up date and age, provision of real estate to financial institutions as security, reasons for selecting business, things considered when deciding on location for business premises, difficulties at start-up

(6) Management conditions, etc.
Current performance (current sales conditions, monthly sales, target monthly sales before start-up, profitability, time when respondent began generally turning a profit), level of satisfaction (income, leisure and comfort, life in general), location of businesses that can provide similar products and services, current difficulties

(7) Experience in business management, etc.
Experience in business management, current state of business respondent managed, position when closing business, industry respondent managed, month and year of/age at business closure, number of employees at business closure, reasons for business closure, performance when respondent decided to close the business (sales conditions/state of profitability), total liabilities at business closure, total liabilities of business that respondent closed at the time of new start-up, whether respondent uses past business experience and experience respondent uses

(8) Business outlook
Intentions on future scale of business, thoughts about business succession, current state of successor to business
Date of Release 2009/01/15
Topics in CESSDA Click here for details

Working conditions
Topics in SSJDA Economy/Industry/Management
Version 1 : 2008-01-15
Notes for Users Variable and value labels are written in Japanese.