The Founding of Japan’s Building Maintenance Industry: The Legacy of Shotaro Asaji (Abridged English Edition)

During the postwar reconstruction period under the control of GHQ， with the end of the occupation administration， the business model of building management (maintenance) by contract was started for the first time in Japan. Eventually， it spontaneously developed into a new industry called building maintenance. At the center of the building maintenance industry， which now employs over 1.17 million people and has sales of 4 trillion yen， is a man named Shotaro Asaji， who has been driving this industry. This book is a biography of Shotaro Asaji， who demonstrated his business acumen from a young age， served as a bridge between the occupying forces and the Japanese side as the Japanese chief advisor to the Housing and Buildings Bureau at GHQ， and eventually led the creation and development of the building maintenance industry in Japan. Asaji eventually became the honorary life chairman of the World Building Services Federation， which was established by fellow professionals from various countries. Shotaro Asaji， born on March 16， 1905 and from Kanazawa City， passed away on August 8， 1983 at the age of 78. This book is an English translation of the original Japanese book (published by Chigensha INC， first edition December 28， 2022: ISBN9784434314322)， condensed to almost half its original size.The original Japanese text is included at the end of the book.
ＧＨＱの支配下にあった日本の戦後復興期、占領行政の終わりとともに、日本において初めて、契約によるビル管理（メンテナンス）という業務形態がスタート。やがてそれは、自然発生的にビルメンテナンス業という新しい産業として右肩あがりの発展を遂げた。今や117万人余が従事し、売上高４兆数千億となったビルメンテナンス業界の中心で、この産業を牽引してきた浅地庄太郎という男の存在がある。本書は、すでに若いころから先見の商才を発揮し、ＧＨＱでは住宅建物局日本人首席顧問として占領軍と日本側との橋渡し役を務め、やがて日本のビルメンテナンス業の創生と発展を導いた浅地庄太郎の功績を記録した人物伝である。浅地はついに、各国の同業者によって設立された世界ビルサービス連盟の終身名誉会長にまで就任した。明治38年3月16日生まれ、金沢市出身の浅地庄太郎は、昭和58年8月8日、78歳の生涯を閉じた。本書は、日本語の原書（知玄舎刊、2022年12月28日初版：ISBN9784434314322）を、ほぼ半分に縮小した要約版の英訳である。巻末に、日本語原文を併記。