Buffett-led share price boom short-lived for most Japan trading firms
The August announcement, among the largest investments ever made by Buffett in Japan, boosted investor interest in the trading companies.
A bubble scarier than big tech is brewing in China
Much as Beijing has advocated investing in young hard-tech stocks, professionals are still apprehensive.
Berkshire Hathaway takes stakes topping $6 billion in Japan's top five trading companies
Shares in the trading houses leaped on news of the foray, one of billionaire Warren Buffett's biggest in Asia’s second-largest economy.
Japanese trading giant Itochu edges traditional rivals by shunning energy and metals
Itochu is shattering the old pecking order led by Mitsubishi, Mitsui and Sumitomo by extending its lead as the nation's most valuable trader.
Trading house Sumitomo to manage Japan-financed special economic zone near Dhaka
Major trading house Sumitomo Corp. will manage a special economic zone financed by Tokyo and expected to open near the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka, in early 2022, according to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the government's development aid arm. Land reclamation for the economic zone ...
Itochu wins bigger stake in sportswear-maker Descente in rare hostile takeover for Japan
Trading house Itochu Corp. said Friday it has increased its stake in major sportswear-maker Descente Ltd. to 40 percent, succeeding in what, for Japan, was a rare hostile takeover bid. The two firms with over 50 years of business ties were drawn into a takeover ...
Sōgō shōsha: Adapting to stay ahead as industries evolve
The sōgō shōsha's longevity, up until this point, can to a certain extent be attributed to their adeptness in being able to rapidly acclimate themselves to the changes in the business and economic environment over the years. By moving quickly and being flexible, the ...
Global challenges lie ahead as sōgō shōsha hunt for growth
While many global companies, including the sōgō shōsha, face similar political, economic, social, technological, managerial and other risks — much too many to cover here — Japan's nearly complete dependence on natural resource and raw material imports from overseas and its shrinking domestic market ...
Diversification, integration and the roles of trader and investor
There are some who have explained, in somewhat academic terms, the sōgō shōsha's upstream-downstream integration process by dividing it into two concepts: "diversification" and "integration." Weight of nontrading roles Simply, what is occurring is the business divisions' units are applying and combining such nontrading functions as ...
Adapting to new industries, bolstering world's infrastructure
The ability of the sōgō shōsha to survive through all the changes and transformations that have taken place over the years can, in many ways, be attributed to their adeptness in recognizing the rise of new industries early on and creating new businesses in ...
Sōgō shōsha: Understanding Japan's super suppliers and distributors
As mentioned before, the sōgō shōsha have two fundamental business models: Their traditional, core business model as trader, supplier, wholesaler and distributor of a vast array of goods and materials upstream and downstream in the supply or value chain, and as an organizer of ...
