Japanese Enterprise Overseas

Japanese overseas enterprise was spearheaded by its sogoshosha or general trading companies, themselves the nuclei of Japan’s major manufacturing and financial groups. The successors of the old-established zaibatsu, these trading networks were established in the early years of the twentieth century. Japanese manufacturing companies, especially those making consumer electronics and motor cars, followed in the footsteps of the trading companies during the 1960s and 1970s, establishing local importing and wholesale offices, and then manufacturing installations. Most recently, the Japanese banks and securities houses have set up increasingly global networks, at first representative offices and then fully-fledged subsidiaries. Whilst the manufacturing companies have tended to gradually fan outwards in their operations from South East Asia to the USA and South America, and then to Europe (and in some cases, Australasia), the financial businesses have been drawn to the other two points of the world financial triangle that comprises Tokyo, New York and London. The Japanese manufacturing companies have been attracted overseas by cheap labour, the chance to overcome tariff barriers, and the existence of large and growing markets. Japanese financial services have been drawn by the largest and most active stock exchanges and financial communities.