Abstract
Prominent general contractors (GCs) in Japan have historically maintained dedicated research and development (R&D) institutes that conduct comprehensive studies on structural engineering, construction techniques, and environmental management technologies. These research endeavors have evolved over time, reflecting the prevailing conditions and trends in the construction industry during each era. We examined changes in R&D activities over the past decade by analyzing R&D descriptions and statistical data contained in securities reports issued by 14 leading GCs using natural language processing. Our analysis revealed that over the course of the decade, R&D activities transformed significantly due to market dynamics and macro-environmental factors. For instance, during the 2000s, a surge in demand for high-rise condominium buildings led to an increased presence of related terminology in the 2009 fiscal year (FY) securities reports. However, this trend had declined by FY 2019. Notably, in FY 2019, there was an observable increase in R&D efforts concerning wood and cross-laminated timber applications. This can be attributed to the enforcement of laws and standardization measures that facilitated the proliferation of wood-based construction techniques in the 2010s. Throughout the 2010s, the primary concern of the Japanese construction industry was optimizing production processes to meet escalating domestic construction demands. A comparative analysis between 2009 and 2019 indicates a shift in focus, with fewer references to product innovation and a more pronounced emphasis on process innovation.