Pump research and development: Past, present, and future - Japanese perspective

The evolution of pump research and production in Japan after 1955 is surveyed. The post-war period has been divided into three stages of development with unique social and industrial characteristics: expansion, conversion, and globalization. The growth of pump production in sales amount and quantity is shown for various types of pumps. The post-war direct and indirect research on pumps is classified into eight groups of topics and their past trends are analyzed. These changes are correlated with the characteristics of the corresponding background stage, These analyses with the past suggest new trends of research for pumps of tomorrow.