- Gloves are dress ornaments used to cover one's hands, and in 16th century Europe they were considered to be essential fashion items required by etiquette. Revealing one's hands was considered to be as vulgar as showing one's feet, and interestingly, the German word for glove, "Handschuh", literally means "hand shoe".
- Gloves have a long history in Japan, and the first to be made were knitted gloves copied from English gloves in 1888 by a Buddhist priest called Ryoji Shunrei.
- There are various kinds of gloves, including sewn gloves made by cutting out and machine-stitching knitted fabric, knitted gloves made by knitting together weft knit fabric, leather gloves made by cutting out and stitching, and gloves made from synthetic leathers.
- Eastern Sanuki region in Kagawa Prefecture used to account for 90% of all production in Japan, but due to such as factors as the sharp rise in labor costs in Japan and the shortage of workers (sewers) and successors, many Japanese makers were quick to move into Taiwan and South Korea (from around 1967). With the increase in "re-imports" of gloves made in these countries brought back for sale in Japan, the region's share of glove production gradually declined.
- Overseas production in Taiwan and South Korea continued for some 15 years from 1967, but as the explosion in labor costs in these countries too has made production unprofitable, manufacturers are shifting their production bases to Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and China, where labor costs are lower, and the Shanghai area, Tianjin and Beijing in China have recently been particularly popular with Japanese makers. They have, however, come under pressure from major companies expanding into China as well, and they will probably have to move further and further into the interior. Overseas expansion has taken various forms as companies have expanded by using only their own capital, forming joint ventures and processing on commission base. Processing on commission base is a common method, however, as satisfactory materials cannot be obtained easily in the regions concerned and so materials are sent from Japan to be turned into complete products to send back to Japan. Around 54-55 Japanese makers have overseas production bases, but fewer than 20 use only their own capital or form joint ventures; all the remainder send materials from Japan for processing on commission base. Currently the most popular location for production is China (60%), and the next most popular, despite the steep rise in labor costs, are Taiwan and South Korea, where processing on commission base is easy. Some Japanese makers export gloves produced in these areas from there to Europe and the United States. There are some sales in the country of production, although levels are still low. Vietnam is expected to become a future center for production.
- The people involved in glove production overseas are mostly young and quick to learn, and so there is very little difference in quality between gloves made in Japan and those made overseas. Japanese makers provide some technical guidance, and high- quality gloves are made.
- Prices in Japan have fallen by half due to large imports of these cheap, high-quality gloves, making production in Japan almost impossible. An excess supply of imports led to excessive competition, and the price of gloves fell rapidly.
- Planning and developing new products, making samples for plants overseas, warehousing and marketing have come to make up the business activities of Japanese glove makers.
- According to the Japan Glove Industry Association, sales of gloves in fiscal 1996 (April 1, 1996 - March 31, 1997) totaled 72.47 million pairs (JY37.54158 billion), of which 80% were produced overseas and the remaining 20% were produced domestically. Domestic production is limited to rapid production of many models in small quantities.
- Japanese glove makers now have to rely on imports. Even in Kagawa, which in the past developed as a center for production based on exports to Europe and America, exports have virtually ceased (JY58.51 million in 1996). Manufacturers have been forced to switch to domestic demand and move into new fields, such as the production of sports gloves for leisure and sporting such as golf, skiing, batting, driving and marine sports. Some manufacturers make slipper socks (for wearing indoors) in parallel with weft knitted gloves, while others have started producing knitted goods or making related goods such as bags and leather garments from leather for leather gloves. Due to factors such as cold-weather ski gloves only being used in the winter, mild winters caused by global warming, the large influx of imports and the fact that people are ceasing to wear gloves, glove makers in Kagawa too have had to diversify into making products for which demand is stable throughout the year, such as sports gloves, slipper socks, bags, clothing, hats, telephone covers and underwear made from heat-emitting fibers. The Kagawa production region is developing into an all-round production area built around glove-making and producing general clothing and accessories, including weft knitted and leather goods. Sales for the region in 1996 totaled JY59.27 billion, of which 63% were gloves and 37% were other products.
- Supermarkets and other major retail chain stores send materials overseas for production and import directly from the overseas makers, but their inability to select suitable goods due to a lack of experience in the glove business means that they face an uphill struggle in the marketplace.
- Manufacturers voluntarily take out product liability insurance, but many have introduced the use of detectors to check products and there have as yet been no problems. The only cases to arise have concerned the color from gloves made using leather tanned overseas coming off on skiwear.
- Brand awareness is high, and famous foreign and domestic brands sell well.
- One strategy for survival in the future is to create distinctive products by developing new brands and highly fashionable products with product patents and registered designs. Another way to survive is to produce sterile gloves, disposable gloves for work in nuclear power stations, ultra-thin sewn gloves and hats for use in semiconductor plants, and supple gloves made using microfibers.
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