TOKYO -- Shipbuilders in China, Japan and South Korea are locked in a struggle for survival amid a global supply glut and shrinking market, as each government digs in its heels to protect these major employers.
The world's shipbuilding companies are concentrated in the three East Asian countries, which together control 90% of global market share. Advanced and affordable Japanese shipbuilders beat out European rivals in the 1950s to lead the world for roughly 40 years. But competitors arose in South Korea in the 1990s and in China the next decade. Companies from either country have held the top spot since 2010.
