日本的现代造船业开始于明治维新后不久，当时政府收购了现有设施，投资了新设备，后来又把造船厂卖给了私人公司。到第一次世界大战结束时，日本的造船业在世界上排名第三。

Japan's modern shipbuilding industry began shortly after the Meiji Restoration, when the government bought existing facilities, invested in new equipment, and later sold the shipyards to private companies.   By the end of World War I, Japan was the third-ranked shipbuilding nation in the world.