In characterising the Japanese way of business, Professor Okumura has made one of the most significant contributions to the study of economics. Following his study of the conversion of prewar zaibatsu to postwar groups of enterprises, he worked on the roll of comprehensive trading companies in...

What is a business enterprise ? Though seemingly simple, in reality this is a very difficult question to answer. When we examine a group of business enterprises such as the Mitsubishi Group, an important issue is how to look at enterprises, the members of said group. A currently popular approach...

There have been many corporate mergers in Japan. Beginning with the great mergers of once-dissolved Mitsubishi Shoji (Mitsubishi Trading) and Mitsui Bussan (Mitsui Trading) in the 1950s, there have been numerous large-scale mergers including the Ocean Shipping Conglomerate (mergers into six core...