One Point Japanese - - - Zaibatsu - PSPINC CEO Kenichi Uchikura's Blog

In order to understand Japanese business culture, one needs to understand the history of the Japanese business system. To understand Japanese business history, you need to understand what we call Zai-Batsu. (It is made of two words.)

Zai = Money (Asset)
Batsu = Group based on blood, region or collage (School)

Zaibatsu means, financial relationship of the companies based on family.

You are born belonging to Zaibatsu. It is very rare you become a part of Zaibatsu. Following are the four Zaibatsu.

Mitsubishi
Mitsui
Sumitomo
Yasuda

And there are few more small (still big) Zaibatsu in Japan.

How powerful was (is) Zaibatsu?

One of the largest Zaibatsu in Japan Suzuki Shoten went out of business early 1900s. But this company left following companies.

Kobe Steel
Teijin
Shinko Dentetsu
Sapporo Beer
Showa Shell Oil
Mitsui Toatsu
Fuji Film
Shojitsu
Nippon Seifun
Nihon Kaiun
Taosyo Seimei
Daiwa Seimei

Those are few of the companies that Suzuki Shoten (privately held company) left behind when they close their door. This shows how much influence Zaibatsu have in Japanese economy.

At the end of World War II, zaibatsu became the target of Japanese reform and they were not longer allowed to operate using one Zaibatsu name. When Zaibatsu was no longer, the new name came up Keiretsu is the word used now days to show the preferred relationship of the companies.