Nissan Group
Encyclopedia
Nissan Group , or formerly Nissan zaibatsu
, is one of 15 of Japan's most powerful business groupings. Founded in 1928 by Yoshisuke Aikawa
, the group was originally a holding company created as an offshoot of Kuhara Mining Co.(present day Nippon Mining & Metals Company), which Aikawa had taken over as president of from his brother-in-law, Fusanosuke Kuhara
. After the bankruptcy of the Kuhara zaibatsu
following World War I
, Aikawa reorganized its assets into (Japan Industries) or Nippon Sangyo Corporation (日本産業株式会社), Nissan for short.
The group's core business was real estate and insurance with hundreds of member companies, including fisheries, mining companies, and is affiliated with Hitachi Group companies, as well as what Nissan is now known for--its automobile industry. Nissan and Hitachi mean similar things in Japanese, Nissan means "Japan Made" and Hitachi means "Japan Built", hence the swapping of names.
After World War 2, the zaibatsu was disbanded, and reformed into Nichiyo-kai, otherwise known as Nissan Group.
Although the Nissan name was primarily known for its car manufacturing outside of Japan, Nissan Motors
was a comparatively small side business compared to its core real estate business until the real estate crash of early 1990s (see Japanese asset price bubble
). Like the similar subprime crisis, the crash dealt a devastating blow to the Nissan Group by leaving it with several hundred billions of dollars of debt.
The Nissan Group has long since shed the majority of its real estate assets, and has focused on manufacturing and insurance. Nissan Motors was given more independence as Renault SA of France bought a 38.8% stake for $5.4 billion in Nissan Motors
(日産自動車株式会社) in 1999 and installed Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn
of Lebanon
. Its successful turnaround was attributed by CEO Ghosn to his ability to detach it from Nissan keiretsu
connections and debt and eliminate 23,000 jobs from the Japanese workforce.
Zaibatsu
is a Japanese term referring to industrial and financial business conglomerates in the Empire of Japan, whose influence and size allowed for control over significant parts of the Japanese economy from the Meiji period until the end of World War II.-Terminology:...
, is one of 15 of Japan's most powerful business groupings. Founded in 1928 by Yoshisuke Aikawa
Yoshisuke Aikawa
-External links:*...
, the group was originally a holding company created as an offshoot of Kuhara Mining Co.(present day Nippon Mining & Metals Company), which Aikawa had taken over as president of from his brother-in-law, Fusanosuke Kuhara
Fusanosuke Kuhara
was a businessman and politician of Japan.He was a syndicalist, zaibatsu member, and mining industrialist, later becoming a right-wing supporter in wartime Japan....
. After the bankruptcy of the Kuhara zaibatsu
Zaibatsu
is a Japanese term referring to industrial and financial business conglomerates in the Empire of Japan, whose influence and size allowed for control over significant parts of the Japanese economy from the Meiji period until the end of World War II.-Terminology:...
following World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Aikawa reorganized its assets into (Japan Industries) or Nippon Sangyo Corporation (日本産業株式会社), Nissan for short.
The group's core business was real estate and insurance with hundreds of member companies, including fisheries, mining companies, and is affiliated with Hitachi Group companies, as well as what Nissan is now known for--its automobile industry. Nissan and Hitachi mean similar things in Japanese, Nissan means "Japan Made" and Hitachi means "Japan Built", hence the swapping of names.
After World War 2, the zaibatsu was disbanded, and reformed into Nichiyo-kai, otherwise known as Nissan Group.
Although the Nissan name was primarily known for its car manufacturing outside of Japan, Nissan Motors
Nissan Motors
, usually shortened to Nissan , is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn ....
was a comparatively small side business compared to its core real estate business until the real estate crash of early 1990s (see Japanese asset price bubble
Japanese asset price bubble
The was an economic bubble in Japan from 1986 to 1991, in which real estate and stock prices were greatly inflated. The bubble's collapse lasted for more than a decade with stock prices initially bottoming in 2003, although they would descend even further amidst the global crisis in 2008. The...
). Like the similar subprime crisis, the crash dealt a devastating blow to the Nissan Group by leaving it with several hundred billions of dollars of debt.
The Nissan Group has long since shed the majority of its real estate assets, and has focused on manufacturing and insurance. Nissan Motors was given more independence as Renault SA of France bought a 38.8% stake for $5.4 billion in Nissan Motors
Nissan Motors
, usually shortened to Nissan , is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn ....
(日産自動車株式会社) in 1999 and installed Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn
Carlos Ghosn
Carlos Ghosn, KBE , born 9 March 1954, is a Brazilian-Lebanese-French businessman who is currently the Chairman and CEO of Yokohama, Japan-based Nissan and holds the same positions at Paris-based Renault, which together produce more than one in 10 cars worldwide...
of Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. Its successful turnaround was attributed by CEO Ghosn to his ability to detach it from Nissan keiretsu
Keiretsu
A is a set of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings. It is a type of business group. The keiretsu has maintained dominance over the Japanese economy for the greater half of the twentieth century....
connections and debt and eliminate 23,000 jobs from the Japanese workforce.
Nissan Concern Member Companies
- Nissan Subgroup
- 日産自動車 Nissan MotorsNissan Motors, usually shortened to Nissan , is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn ....
- 日産ディーゼル Nissan Diesel
- 日産化学工業 Nissan Chemicals
- 日産証券 Nissan Securities
- 日産農林 NNK
- 日産マリーン Nissan MarineNissan MarineNissan Marine began their North American operations in 1984 in Memphis, Tennessee as a division of Nissan Industrial Equipment Co. Over the next 6 years, the Marine Division experienced explosive growth and in 1991 Nissan Marine was separated from Nissan Industrial Equipment into a standalone...
- Nissan Outboard MotorsNissan Outboard MotorsNissan outboard motors are produced by Tohatsu Corporation of Tokyo, Japan. They are the second largest producer of outboard motors in the world and produce environmentally conscious TLDI series of two-stroke low pressure direct injection outboards that meet current United States Environmental...
- Kinugawa Rubber Industrial Co
- Calsonic KanseiCalsonic Kanseiis a large Japanese automotive company which has 50 manufacturing centers in USA, Poland, South Korea, Mexico, Romania, Thailand, UK, South Africa, India, Spain, China, France and Malaysia.-Sponsorship:...
- Kayaba Industry
- 日産自動車 Nissan Motors
- Hitachi Group
- Hitachi, Ltd
- INES Corporation
- Hitachi Maxell
- NISSEICOM LTD.
- 日立キャピタル株式会社 Hitachi Capital
- 日立金属 Hitachi Metals
- Hitachi CableHitachi Cablewas established in 1956 as a manufacturer of electric wire and cable for power distribution. The company, based in Tokyo, Japan, was formed from Hitachi Densen Works, the Hitachi Works spin-off previously known as Densen Works of....
- 日立化成工業株式会社 Hitachi Chemical
- 新神戸電機株式会社 Shin-Kobe Electric Machinery Co
- 株式会社ニチレイ Nichirei Corporation
- Hitachi Zosen Corporation
- 日立建機株式会社 Hitachi Construction MachineryHitachi Construction Machineryis a construction equipment manufacturer in Japan, and a Hitachi Group company. It is listed on the Nikkei 225.-Current Products:*Crawler*Excavator*Loader*Recycle machine*Roller...
- TCM株式会社 TCM Corp
- Nippon Suisan KaishaNippon Suisan Kaishais a marine products company based in Japan. It had annual revenues in 2004 of 4.7 billion USD. The company was established in 1911, and is a commercial fishing and marine product procurement operation. Its goal is to “Establish a global supply chain of marine products.” The company is the...
- 日油株式会社 NOF CORPORATION
- ニッサン石鹸株式会社 Nissansoap Co
- 昭和炭酸株式会社 SHOWA TANSAN CO., LTD
- りんかい日産建設 Rinkai Nissan Construction
- Hitachi, Ltd
- Nippon Mining Group
- 新日鉱ホールディングス株式会社 NIPPON MINING HOLDINGS,INC.
- Japan Energy Corporation
- 日鉱金属株式会社 Nippon Mining & Metals Co
- タツタ電線株式会社 Tatsuta Electric Wire Cable Co
- 東邦チタニウム株式会社 Toho Titanium Corporation
- 株式会社丸運 MARUWA CORPORATION
- 鹿島石油株式会社 KASHIMA OIL CO.,LTD
- 新日鉱ホールディングス株式会社 NIPPON MINING HOLDINGS,INC.
- Sompo Japan Insurance Group (formerly Yasuda Fire & Marine Insurance Company)
- Sompo Japan InsuranceSompo Japan Insurance, or Sompo Japan , is a Japanese insurance company. It is the second-largest property insurance company in Japan only behind Tokio Marine, with market share of 19.3% in 2007....
- 日産センチュリー証券 NISSAN CENTURY SECURITIES CO.,LTD
- 兼松日産農林株式会社 Kanematsu-NNK Corporation
- Sompo Japan Insurance
Former members
- Japan Victor Corporation, or JVCJVC, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...
, sold to PanasonicPanasonicPanasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
. - Columbia Music EntertainmentColumbia Music Entertainmentis a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as . It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK Columbia trademarks in 1931. The company changed its name to Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd. in 1946. It used the Nippon Columbia name until...
- DenonDenonis a Japanese electronics company that was involved in the early stages of development of digital audio technology, while specializing in the manufacture of high-fidelity professional and consumer audio equipment. For many decades, Denon was a brand name of Nippon-Columbia, including the Nippon...
- Nissan Mutual Life InsuranceNissan Mutual Life InsuranceNissan Mutual Life Insurance Company was a Japanese company that went bankrupt on April 25, 1997. It was the first time since the postwar period that a life insurer went bankrupt....
(Nippon Mutual Life) - Nitto DenkoNitto Denkois a Japanese company which produces tapes, vinyl, LCDs, insulation, and several other products. It was founded in 1918 to produce electrical insulation and it survived World War II, despite the destruction of its central offices.-Products:...