Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-28
industrial CorteIs Grow in japan
Despite Attempt to Stop Them

then State Department consult
ant on cartels.
The Mitsui
The Mitsui acted as a family
pursuant to law, custom and fam
lily rules. According to their agree
ments. the wealth was controlled
by a council composed Of the heads
of IL families. They made all
major decisions for the combines
and could expel and disinherit any
family member who did any
financing on his own or showed
other evidences of Incompetence,
bad conduct or diSobedience."
Though the Mitsui family spread
its activities across the whole eco
nomic fabric of Japan, it was gen.
orally thought Of first as a trading
company.
According to the Mitsubishi the
restoration Of a Zaibatsu concern
Of the old days in its dimension
and substance is out Of the ques-
ton. 1t adds, however, that the
former Mitsui companies are play
ing an important role in their re-
spective fields biased on the repu->
tation, technique and means IN
herited from former times"
The Mitsubishi
This is the name used by the
Iwasaki family. The members OF
it acted together voluntarily in
their common interest.
The Mitsubishi's greatest power
lay in its shipping concerns and
heavy industries. though it too
had many subsidiary interests.
According to the Japanese En-
bassy in Washington the Iwasaki
family no longer controls the Nit
subiShi, but all the firms are run
by former employees. Mitsubishi
oil now has some American CAPT.
tai invested in it. All the Mitsu-
bishi firms, however. have resumed
the Mitsubishi names. The En-
bassy also reports there now is
only one Mitsubishi trading COM
pany instead of the six into which
it was broken up during the occu-
patton. The smaller companies
disappeared through bankruptcies
and mergers.
Says the MitSubishi book. "NeV-
ertheless though (all the MitSu-
bishi) companies now act individu-
ally and on their own responsible
ity and compete on a fair basis,
they preserve their former friendly
relationship. and cooperate as far
as possible both in business and
technical matters in keeping with
the traditional reputation which is
their common inheritance.
The Sumitomo
The Sumitomo enterprise has
centuries of tradition and is one
of the Oldest of the zaibatsu dat
ing as far back as the 18th CEN
fury when an ancestor Of the SUI
mltomo family carried on the
smelling Of copper and silver from
copper ore.
The munitions-heavy Sumitomo
enterprises made the Baron Sunni
tonic Japan's highest income tax
payer before World War II. The
baron, however, never took an ac-
tive hand in running his various
companies.
Today Sumitomo activities car
ried on under the old name range
from basic industries such as coal
and metal mining to the manufac-
turing fields of metal, machinery,
electric wire and cable. electric
communication apparatus, and
chemical and glass industries.
According to the Mitsubishi
book, Nevertheless, even at pres
ent, a close connection is MAIN
tanned among Sumitomo compa-
MES through an intangible bond
of affinity as ofishoots from the
same trunk and the sharing of
common spirit and tradition culti-
waited through the long history of
the House of Sumitomo. These re-
lations are consolidated by people
who, trained in the same ideals
and under the same roof. are now
playing major role in. the man
agement of the separate compa-
MES"
4