This is the first part of a new series of reports written by industry specialists. The first 12 articles are about Japanese general trading companies, or sōgō shōsha.
The sōgō shōsha are unique, diversified and complex organizations that are known to have played a significant role in Japan's economic rise, first in its rapid industrialization and commercialization in the latter half of the 19th century, and then in the swift rebuilding of its industry and the high-growth era following World War II.
This series on the sōgō shōsha is to provide a better understanding by explaining, in simple fashion, who they are, what they do, what makes them unique, how they developed and what their basic business model is, as well as their future challenges and directions, from the perspective and experience of someone who has worked in a sōgō shōsha for many years, using Marubeni Corp., my company, as the primary example.