Matsukata Masayoshi
In 1886, Kawasaki established a second shipyard in Kobe, Hyōgo prefecture. With the First Sino-Japanese War, the two shipyards were flooded with new orders and ship repair requests. The two shipyards were merged in 1896 as the Kawasaki Dockyard Company, Ltd. Realizing the limitation of private management, Kawasaki decided to take the company public, and (as he had no son) chose Matsukata Kojiro, the third son of Matsukata Masayoshi, as his successor. Matsukata remained president for the next 32 years until 1928. Matsukata expanded business into rolling stock, aircraft, automobiles and shipping. He also implemented Japan's first eight-hour work day system in 1919, after a massive strike by 30,000 workers threatened to bring down the government of Prime Minister Takashi Hara.