Author: Zatsuga

Traded as

TYO: 4755

Rakuten, Inc is a Japanese company chiefly focused on electronic commerce. It’s e-commerce platform Rakuten Ichiba is the largest e-commerce site in Japan and one of the largest worldwide by sales. (It’s sometimes referred to as “The Japanese Amazon”.) Rakuten also operates Japan’s largest Internet bank and third-largest credit card company (by transaction value).

Founded back in 1997, Rakuten didn’t embarked on a course of rapid expansion abroad until 2005 when it kicked-off a series of high-profile acquisitions and joint ventures. Since then, it has become the owner of businesses such as Buy.com, Play.com, Wuaki.tv, Ebates, OverDrive, The Grommet, Slice, Viki, and PriceMinister. Rakuten also have substantial stakes in various e-businesses, such as Pinterest, Cabify, Carousell, Lyft and Ozon.ru.

Today, Rakuten have over 1 billion members globally for their e-commerce, digital content and communication services.

In April 2014, Rakuten announced that they would ban all online sales of whale and dolphin meat through their channels by the end of the month, after being named as the world’s largest online retailer of whale meat and elephant ivory. In July 2017, Rakuten proclaimed a ban on ivory sales.

Short facts about Rakuten

Japanese name	楽天株式会社
Transcribed name	Rakuten Kabushiki-gaisha
English name	Rakuten, Inc.
Company type	Public K.K.
Traded as	TYO: 4755
Industry	Internet
Key products	E-commerce
Area served	29 countries and regions
Founded	7th of February, 1997 (as MDM, Inc)
Founder	Hiroshi Mikitani
Headquarter	Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
Number of employees	14,826 (2017)

Key services

• Online shopping
• e-reading
• Book distribution
• Video on demand
• Travel reservations
• Fashion
• Banking
• Credit card and payments
• Media
• Professional sports
• Marketing and data analysis
• Mobile messaging

Examples of recent acquisitions, investments and announcements

When?	What?
March, 2018	Rakuten announced plans to launch its own cryptocurrency.
January, 2018	Rakuten made its first foray into the general insurance market by purchasing Asahi Fire and Marine.
April, 2018	Rakuten invested $2.4 million in Singapore-based MetroResidences.
June, 2017	Rakuten led a $500 million Series E round of Funding in Careem, a round which closed out in June.
August, 2016	Rakuten acquired the assets of bitcoin wallet startup Bitnet to create the research facility Rakuten Blockchain Lab in Northern Ireland.
April, 2016	Rakuten participated in a round of financing for the investing app Acorns.
April, 2016	Rakuten announced that it would invest 92 million USD in the Latin American ride-hailing service Cabify. (Rakuten had already invested 3 million USD in Cabify in 2015.)
March, 2015	Rakuten led a 530 million USD round of venture financing for Lyft, paying 300 million USD for a 12% stake.
March, 2015	Rakuten announced their acquisition of OverDrive Inc, a company for which they paid 410 million USD.
January, 2015	Rakuten purchased the J-League football team Vissel Kobe.
September, 2014	Rakuten announced that it would acquire Ebates Inc for approximately 952 million USD.
August, 2014	Rakuten announced its purchase of Slice for an undisclosed sum.
May, 2014	Rakuten Marketing acquired the British technology company DC Storm.
February, 2014	Rakuten announced the acquisition of Viber Media for 905 million USD.

Examples of businesses and subsidiaries

Aquafadas	Rakuten Card Co., Ltd	Rakuten Research, Inc.
Alpha Direct Services	Rakuten Commerce	Rakuten Securities, Inc.
Crimson Football Club	Rakuten Communications Corp.	Rakuten Shashinkan, Inc.
Daily Grommet	Rakuten Coupon	Rakuten.com (formerly Buy.com)
Dot Commodity, Inc.	Rakuten Deutschland GmbH	Rakuten ShowTime, Inc. (Japan)
Ebates Inc.	Rakuten Edy, Inc.	Rakuten Sociobusiness
Fablic	Rakuten EMOBILE, Inc.	Rakuten Spain, SL
Fits.Me Holdings Limited	Rakuten Enterprise Inc.	Rakuten Travel, Inc.
Keiba Mall, Inc.	Rakuten Europe Bank S.A.	ReDucate
Kenko.com. Inc.	Rakuten India Enterprise Pvt.Ltd.	Shareee, Inc.
LinkShare Japan K.K.	Rakuten Insurance Planning Co., Ltd.	Signature Japan Co., Ltd.
Net’s Partners, Inc.	Rakuten Investment Management, Inc.	Slice Technologies, Inc.
O-net, Inc.	Rakuten Kobo Inc.	Spotlight
Priceminister S.A.S	Rakuten Life Insurance Co. Ltd.	Taiwan Rakuten Ichiba, Inc.
PT.Rakuten-MNC	Rakuten LinkShare (formerly LinkShare Corporation)	TARAD Dot Com Co., Ltd.
Rakuten Auction Inc.	Rakuten Logistics, Inc.	TicketStar Inc.
Rakuten AIP	Rakuten Loyalty (formerly FreeCause)	Wuaki.tv
Rakuten Austria GmbH	Rakuten Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.	Viber
Rakuten Baseball, Inc.	Rakuten Marketing	Viki
Rakuten Bank, Ltd.	Rakuten Mart	Voyagin Co. Ltd.
Rakuten Brazil Internet Service Ltda.	Rakuten MediaForge, Inc.	Webgistix
Rakuten.co.uk (formerly Play.com)	Rakuten OverDrive	World Travel System

 

Traded as

TYO: 8306 NYSE: MUFG

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG) is a Japanese bank and financial services company

headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It constituets one of the main companies of the Mitsubishi Group.

MUFG was formed on the 1st of October 2005 through the merger of Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group and UFJ Holdings. As a consequence of the merger, the core banking units of the group (Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and UFJ Bank) merged to form The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd on the 1st of January 2006.

MUFG is Japan’s largest financial group and one of the world’s largest bank holding

companies. Data from the year 2016 show the MUFG holding well over 2.4 trillion USD in assets.

Short facts about MUFG

Japanese name	株式会社三菱UFJフィナンシャル・グループ
Transcribed name	Kabushiki Gaisha Mitsubishi Yūefujei Finansharu Gurūpu
English name	Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.
Company type	Public (K.K.)
Traded as	TYO: 8306 NYSE: MUFG
Index inclusion	TOPIX Core 30
Industry	Banking Financial services
Area served	Worldwide
Founded	On the 1st of October 2005 (by merger)
Founders	Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group, Inc. UFJ Holdings, Inc.
Headquarter	Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
Key services	Personal banking Corporate banking Trust banking Investment banking Investment management Wealth management Mortgage loans Credit cards Leasing
Subsidiaries	The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Mitsubishi UFJ NICOS Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance UnionBanCal Corporation

Consumer business / private banking

North America

Name	Country	Info
Union Bank	USA	400+ branches

Asia

Name	Country	Info
ACOM	Japan	Focused on Japan, but at the time of writing, ACOM is planning to start offering unsecured loans and margin transaction services in Thailand
PT Bank Nusantara Parahyangan Tbk	Indonesia	Acquired by MUFG Bank and ACOM in 2007
VientinBank	Vietnam	MUFG Bank acquired a 20% stake in VientinBank in 2013   VientingBank has 150 branches and 1,000+ transaction offices
Bank of Ayudhya Public Company Limited (Krungsri)	Thailand	MUFG Bank acquired a 72% stake in the bank in 2013.   This is Thailand’s major commercial bank, but it also serves individuals.   It has 600+ branches.

Major Shareholders

Data from the 30th of September, 2017

Name of shareholder	Number of shares held	Percent of shares held (%)
Japan Trustee Services Bank, Ltd. (Trust account)	731,878,000	5.49
The Master Trust Bank of Japan, Ltd. (Trust account)	622,148,600	4.67
Japan Trustee Services Bank, Ltd. (Trust account 5)	263,130,000	1.97
State Street Bank and Trust Company	219,657,569	1.64
Japan Trustee Services Bank, Ltd. (Trust account 9)	217,315,500	1.63
Japan Trustee Services Bank, Ltd. (Trust account 1)	203,768,500	1.52
Japan Trustee Services Bank, Ltd. (Trust account 2)	200,494,200	1.50
State Street Bank West Client-Treaty 505234	200,402,090	1.50
Government of Norway	185,114,733	1.38
The Bank of New York Mellon as Depositary Bank for DR Holders	184,675,505	1.38

Figures for the percentage of shares held have been rounded down to the nearest second decimal place.

The percentage of common stock held is calculated excluding 706,560,084 common stock owned by the Company.

Annual dividends per common share

	Total	Interim	Year-end
Fiscal Year Ended Mar. 2017	¥18	¥9	¥9
Fiscal Year Ended Mar. 2016	¥18	¥9	¥9
Fiscal Year Ended Mar. 2015	¥18	¥9	¥9
Fiscal Year Ended Mar. 2014	¥16	¥7	¥9
Fiscal Year Ended Mar. 2013	¥13	¥6	¥7
Fiscal Year Ended Mar. 2012	¥12	¥6	¥6
Fiscal Year Ended Mar. 2011	¥12	¥6	¥6
Fiscal Year Ended Mar. 2010	¥12	¥6	¥6
Fiscal Year Ended Mar. 2009	¥12	¥7	¥5
Fiscal Year Ended Mar. 2008	¥14	¥7	¥7

Traded as

TYO:5108

The Bridgestone Corporation is a multinational auto and truck parts manufacturer headquartered in Japan. One of its main products are tyres; as of 2017 it is the largest tire manufacture in the world – before other giants such as Michelin, Goodyear and Continental.

In February 2014, Bridgestone agreed to pay a 425 million USD fine imposed by the United States Department of Justice. The reason for the fine was price fixing and bid rigging in the automotive parts industry.

Short facts about the Bridgestone Corporation

Japanese name	株式会社ブリヂストン
Transcribed name	Kabushiki-gaisha Burijisuton
English name	The Bridgestone Corporation
Company type	Public company (K.K.)
Traded as	TYO: 5108
Index inclusion	TOPIX Large 70
Industry	Auto and truck parts
Area served	Worldwide
Headquarter	Kyobashi, Tokyo
Founded	In Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan on the 1st of January 1931
Founder	石橋正二郎 (Shōjirō Ishibashi)
Subsidiaries	Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
Number of employees	143,616 (2017)

The name

The English name of the company – Bridgestone – comes from a calque translation and transposition of the word ishibashi, which means stone bridge in Japanese. The company was founded by the Japansese businessman Shojiro Ishibashi.

Products

The Bridgestone Corporation is especially famous for its tyres, but the product portfolio includes much more than that, such as various automotive components, industrial products, construction materials, polyurethane foam products, bicycles, sporting goods, and parts and materials used to manufacture electronic products.

Examples of Bridgestone’s automotive products

• Vibration-isolating components
• Air springs for automobiles, trucks and train carriages
• Aluminium wheels
• Polyurethane foam for automotive seats and interiors

Examples of Bridgestone’s industrial products

• Polyurethane foam for furniture
• Polyurethane foam for insulation and sealing in appliances
• Marine hoses for loading and unloading oil tankers
• Wire-blade hoses for construction equipment
• Conveyor belts
• Rubber tracks fro crawler tractors

Examples of Bridgestone’s products for construction and civil engineering

• Polyurethane foam for insulation and sealing in buildings
• Ceiling and roofing materials
• Multi-rubber bearings for building foundations (to decrease the risk of earthquake damage)
• Marine fenders
• Bath fixtures
• Residential flooring
• Pavement additives
• Panel tanks for water storage

Examples of Bridgestone’s products for electronic equipment

• Precision rollers for office machines
• Functional films for solar cells

Bridgestone Aircraft Tyre (USA)

The Bridgestone Aircraft Tyre (USA) division manufactures aircraft tyres and also retread used aircraft tyres to make them usable again.

Bridgestone Cycle Co Ltd

Bridgestone’s line of bicycles is the most extensive one in Japan. Bridgestone offers bicycles under its own brand (for utility bikes and mountain bikes) and under the Anchor brand (for road racing bikes). They also make frames for keirin track racing bikes.

Bridgestone utility and mountain bikes are know for being dependable, comfortable and functional rather than trendy. When Bridgestone entered the nascent mountain bike scene, they eschewed the dominating trends and offered mountain bikes with short chain-stays and steep frame angles.

Examples of sporting goods from Bridgestone

• Golf balls
• Golf clubs
• Golf accessories
• Tennis rackets
• Tennis balls

Bridgestone began making golf products in the mid 1930s, and have used their skills and technical know-how from the field of tyre making to improve their golf ball technology. Bridgestone’s major golf product divisions are located in the United States, Australia and South Korea.

Bridgestone Commercial Services Group

The Firestone and Rubber Company of Akron, United States was purchased by Bridgestone in 1988, and in 1990 the company was amalgamated with the Bridgestone Tire Company Ltd USA to form Bridgestone Firestone North American Holdings Ltd. Later, the North American subsidiary of the Bridgestone Corporation was named Bridgestone Americas Inc.

In 2007, Bridgestone Americas acquired the outstanding shares of Bandag Inc, a leading truck tyre re-treader based in Iowa, USA. At the time, Bandag had over 900 franchised dealers worldwide.

After the merger, the unit was renamed Bridgestone Bandag, LLC. In 2011, the unit was renamed Bridgestone Commercial Services Group.

 

Traded as:

TYO: 7751 NYSE: CAJ

Canon Inc. is an interesting option for those looking to invest in a Japanese company that derives most of its revenue from sales abroad. It’s a multinational manufacturer of imaging and optical products, such as cameras, camcorders, computer printers and photocopiers.

Canon Inc. has a primary listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

Since the end of 2011, Dutch printer maker Océ has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canon Inc.

Short facts about Canon Inc.

Japanese name	キヤノン株式会社
Transcribed name	Kiyanon Kabushiki-gaisha
English name	Canon Inc.
Company type	Public (K.K.)
Traded as	TYO: 7751 NYSE: CAJ
Index inclusion	TOPIX Core 30
Founded	In Tokyo on the 10th of August, 1937.
Founder	Goro Yoshida Saburo Uchida Takeshi Mitarai Takeo Maeda
Industry	Electronics
Area served	Worldwide
Headquarter	Ōta, Tokyo, Japan   (30-2 Shimomaruko 3-chome, Ohta-ku, Tokyo 146-8501, Japan)
Subsidiaries	Océ
Examples of key products	Digital cameras Camcorders LCDs Lenses Magnetic heads Micro motors Ophthalmic instruments Photocopiers Printers Scanners SLR cameras Still cameras
Number of employees	197,673 (2017)

Operations

With its global headquarter in Tokyo, Canon Inc. also have regional headquarters throughout the world. The two principal subsidiaries for the European market are Canon Europa NV in Amsterdam and Canon Europe Ltd in Uxbridge, UK.

Canon Inc. is organised into three principal business segments:

Office Business Unit

Consumer Business Unit

Industry and Others Businesses Unit

 

Recent events

When?	What?
March, 2017	Canon Europe announce their acquisition of London-based startup Kite
March, 2016	Canon acquires the Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation for 5.9 million USD.
April, 2015	Canon Europe announce their acquisition if London-based photo sharing startup Lifecake.
April, 2015	Canon completes acquisition of Swedish Security Camera maker Axis Communications.
June, 2014	Canon announce acquisition of Danish IP Surveillance VMS software company Milestone Systems.
February, 2014	Canon announce that they would acquire U.S.- based Molecular Imprints Inc.

Background

Canon has its roots in the company 精機光學研究所 (Seikikōgaku kenkyūsho), known in English as Precision Optical Industry Co. Ltd.

In 1934, the Kwanon was created – a prototype for Japan’s first-ever 35 mm camera with a focal-plane-based shutter. (This prototype was largely derived from cameras produced by the German company Leica.) The name Kwanon comes from the Buddhist bodhisattva 観音, whose name has variously been transcribed to English as Kwanon, Kwannon, Kuanyin or Guan Yin.

During its early years, the company didn’t have the facilities required to produce its own optical glass and used lenses from Nippon Kogaku K.K. (the later Nikon Corporation) instead.

Examples of notable milestones

1940: Canon develops Japan’s first indirect X-ray camera.

1958: Canon introduces a field zoom lense for television broadcasting

1959: Canon introduces the world’s first movie camera with a zoom lens

1961: Cannon introduces the Rangefinder Canon 7 camera.

1964: Canon introduces the first Japanese made 10-key calculator.

1976: Canon introduces a camera with an embedded micro-computer.

1985: Canon introduces the world’s first Inkjet printer with bubble-jet technology.

1992: Canon introduces a camera with eye-controlled AF.

1992: Canon introduces its first digital camera.

1995: Canon introduces a commercially available SLR lens with internal image stabilization.

1996: Canon introduces a pocket-sized digital camera with the Advanced Photo System.

2004: Canon introduces the XEED SX50 LCD projector.

2005: Canon introduces its first high-definition camcorder.

Traded as

TYO: 4502 FSE: 4502

Headquartered in Osaka, Japan, the multinational Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd is the largest pharmaceutical company in Asia, and one of the 15 largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. In 2012, Takeda was included in Fortune Magazine’s list of the 100 best companies to work for in the United States.

Examples of key products for Takeda are pharmaceuticals for the treatment of metabolic disorders, gastroenterology, neurology, inflammation, and oncology. The oncology pharmaceuticals are developed and produced by a subsidiary; Takeda Oncology.

One of the firm’s main sellers is the drug Actos, which is used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Launched in 1999, Actos quickly became one of the world’s best-selling diabetes drugs.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals was founded on the 12th of June, 1781, but it would take almost two centuries before Takeda really begun its international expansion. In 1977, Takeda entered the U.S. market through a joint-ventures with Abbott Laboratories, a cooperation that led to the launch of the commercially very successful drugs Lupron (against certain cancers) and Prevacid (a proton-pump inhibitor).

In April 2015 Takeda agreed to pay a settlement of 2.37 billion USD to an estimated 9,000 people who claimed that the diabetes medicine pioglitazone had given them bladder cancer.

Short facts about Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

Japanese name	武田薬品工業株式会社
Transcribed name	Takeda Yakuhin Kōgyō Kabushiki-gaisha
English name	Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited
Company type	Public KK
Traded as	TYO: 4502 FSE: 4502
Index inclusion	TOPIX Core 30 Component
Industry	Pharmaceuticals
Founded	12th of June 1781, in Doshomachi, Osaka, Japan
Headquarters	1-1, Doshomachi Yonchome, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan

Main locations

Takeda has its two primary bases in Osaka and Tokyo.

The United States subsidiary is located in Deerfield, Illinois.

Takeda’s Global Operations office (for activities outside Japan and the USA) is located in Opfikon, Zürich, Switzerland.

Examples of important research and development sites:

• Osaka, Japan
• Shonan, Japan
• San Diego, USA
• Cambridge, USA
• London, UK
• Singapore

The era of many acquisitions

At the end of the 20th century, Takeda embarked on a road of rapid expansion through acquisitions.

Examples of notable acquisitions:

• Leukosite (1999)
• Cambridge Discovery Chemistry (2000)
• COR Therapeutics (2002)
• Syrrx (2005)
• Altana Pharma (2007)
• Bradley Pharmaceuticals (2007)
• Millennium Pharmaceuticals (2008)
• Nycomed (2011)
• URL Pharma (2012)
• Multilaba (2012)
• Cerevance (2016)
• Ariad Pharmaceuticals (2017)
• TiGenix (2018)

Traded as

TYO: 6758 NYSE: SNE

The Sony Corporation, stylised as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerates corporation chiefly focused on consumer and professional electronics, gaming, entertainment and financial services.

Sony Corporation is the electronics business unit and the parent company of the Sony Group, which is engaged in business through its four operating components: electronics, motion pictures, music and financial services.

• On the global consumer as well as professional market, the Sony Corporation is one of the leading manufacturers of electronic products.
• Sony is one of the leading sellers of semiconductors.
• When it comes to televisions, Sony is the 5th largest manufacture in the world, only Samsung, LG Electronics, TCL and Hisense are larger.

Background

In 1946, just after World War II, Masuru Ibuka opened an electronics shop in Tokyo, with a starting capital of ¥190,000 and a total of eight employees. Soon, Akio Morita joined Ibuka and they founded a company named Tokyo Tsunshin Kogyo (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation). This company built the first Japanese tape recorder; the Type-G. In 1958, the company name was changed to Sony.

Corporate information

The Sony Corporation is a kabushiki gaisha registered to the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Japan and on the New York Stock Exchange in the United States.

Data from the 30th of September 2017 show:

• 1,264,649,260 issued shares
• 484,812 shareholders

The five largest shareholders were:

Japan Trustee Services Bank, Ltd.  (JAPAN)	10.7% (136,130,000)
Citigroup Inc. (USA)	8.7% (109,396,000)
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (USA)	6.1% (77,467,000)
State Street Corporation (USA)	5.6% (71,767,000)
The Master Trust Bank of Japan, Ltd. (JAPAN)	5.6% (70,720,000)

 

Short facts about the Sony Corporation

Japanese name	ソニー株式会社
Transcribed name	Sony Kabushiki Kaisha
English name	Sony Corporation
Former name	Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo KK (1946-1957)
Company type	Public (K.K)
Industry	Conglomerate
Headquarters	Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Area served	Worldwide
Founded	In Tokyo, Japan on the 7th of May 1946
Founders	Masaru Ibuka Akio Morita
Traded as	TYO: 6758 NYSE: SNE
Index inclusion	TOPIX Core 30
Key products	Consumer electronics Semiconductors Video games Films Television programs Music Computer hardware Telecommunications equipment
Key services	Financial services Insurance Banking Credit finance Advertising agency Network services
Operating income in 2017	¥712.7 billion
Net income in 2017	¥507.6 billion
Total assets in 2017	¥17.690 trillion
Total equity in 2017	¥2.897 trillion
Number of employees in 2017	128400

 

Examples of major holdings and subsidiaries

This list only includes major holdings and subsidiaries.

In Japan

AII Inc. (60.9%)

AK Holdings Corporation

Animax Broadcast Japan Inc.

AXN Japan Inc.

FeliCa Networks, Inc. (57%)

ForwardWorks Corporation

Frontage Inc. (60%)

Kids Station Inc.

M3 Inc.  (39.4%)

MotionPortrait, Inc.

Mystery Channel, Inc.

P5, Inc.

Polyphony Digital Inc.

So-net Media Networks Co.,Ltd

Sony Assurance Inc.

Sony Bank Inc.

Sony Biz Networks Corporation

Sony Business Solutions Corporation

Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc.

Sony Creative Products Inc.

Sony DADC Japan Inc.

Sony Energy Devices Corporation

Sony Enterprise Co.,Ltd.

Sony Facility Management Corporation

Sony Financial Holdings Inc. (62.99%)

Sony Global Education, Inc.

Sony Global Manufacturing & Operations Corporation

Sony Global Solutions Inc.

Sony Imaging Products & Solutions Inc.

Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

Sony Life Insurance Co., Ltd.

Sony Lifecare Inc.

Sony LSI Design Inc.

Sony Marketing Co., Ltd.

Sony Mobile Communications Inc.

Sony Mobile Communications Japan, Inc.

Sony Music Artists Inc.

Sony Music Communications Inc.

Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.

Sony Music Labels Inc.

Sony Music Marketing Inc.

Sony Network Communications Inc.

Sony Olympus Medical Solutions Inc.  (51%)

Sony PCL Inc.

Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc.

Sony Real Estate Corporation (56.3%)

Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation

Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation

Sony Video & Sound Products Inc.

Sony Visual Products Inc.

In mainland China and Hong Kong

Sony (China) Ltd.

Sony Electronics (Wuxi) Co., Ltd.

Beijing Suohong Electronics Co., Ltd.

Shanghai Suoguang Electronics Co., Ltd.

Shanghai Suoguang Visual Products Co., Ltd.

Sony Corporation of Hong Kong Ltd.

Sony International (Hong Kong) Ltd.

In the rest of Asia (excluding the Middle East)

Sony Electronics of Korea Corporation

Sony Korea Corporation

Sony India Private Limited

Sony India Software Services Pvt. Ltd

PT. Sony Electronics Indonesia

Sony Electronics (Malaysia) SDN. BHD.

Sony Technology (Malaysia) SDN. BHD.

Sony Philippines, Inc.

Sony Electronics (Singapore) Pte. LTD.

Sony Magnetic Products (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

Sony Mobile Electronics (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

Sony Device Technology (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

Sony Siam Industries Co., Ltd.

Sony Vietnam Ltd.

 

In Australia & New Zealand

Sony Australia Limited

Sony Computer Entertainment Australia Pty. Ltd

Sony New Zealand Ltd.

In the Middle East & Africa

Sony Middle East and Africa FZE (UAE)

Sony Eurasia Pazarlama A.S. (Turkey)

 

In Europe

Sony Austria GmbH.

Sony Benelux B.V. (Netherlands)

Sony Berlin G.m.b.H. (Germany)

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited (UK)

Sony Czech, spol. s.r.o.

Sony DACD Austria A.G.

Sony DADC Europe Limited

Sony DADC, OOO (Borovsk, Russia)

Sony Deutschland G.m.b.H. (Köln, Germany)

Sony Espana S.A. (Spain)

Sony Europa B.V. (Netherlands)

Sony Europe GmbH (Germany)

Sony France S.A.

Sony Global Treasury Service Plc (UK)

Sony Hungaria kft (Hungary)

Sony Italia S.p.A. (Italy)

Sony Logistics Europe B.V. (Netherlands)

Sony Mobile Communications AB (Sweden; head office in United Kingdom)

Sony Nordic A/S (Denmark)

Sony Overseas S.A. (Switzerland)

Sony Poland Sp.z.o.o. (Poland)

Sony Portugal Ltda. (Portugal)

Sony Service Centre (Europe) N.V. (Brussels, Belgium)

Sony Slovakia s r. o. (Slovakia)

Sony United Kingdom Ltd.

In North America

Sony of Canada Ltd.

 

Sony Corporation of America

Sony Interactive Entertainment

Sony USA (Previously Sony Electronics Inc.)

Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

Sony Mobile Communications Inc.

Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.

Sony Latin America Inc.

Sony Creative Software

Sony Magnetic Products Inc. of America Sony Puerto Rico, Inc.

 

Sony de Mexico S.A. de C.V.

Sony de Mexicali, S.A. de C.V. (Mexico)

Sony Nuevo Laredo,S.A. de C.V. (Mexico)

Sony de Tijuana Oeste, S.A. de C.V. (Mexico)

 

Sony Corporation of Panama, S. A.

In South America

Sony Comercio e Industia Ltda. (Brazil)

Sony Componentes Ltda. (Brazil)

Sony da Amazonia Ltda. (Brazil)

Sony Chile Ltda. (Chile)

Sony Argentina S.A.

Traded as

TYO: 7203 LSE: TYT NYSE: TM

Toyota Motor Corporation is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer that is also active in the field of robotics. Toyota Motor Corporation is a part of the Toyota Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Japan.

Founded in the 1930s, Motor Corporation became the world’s largest automobile maker in 2008 when it displaced GM, and it has held on to that position ever since.

Toyota Motor Corporation produces vehicles under five brands:

• Toyota
• Hino
• Lexus
• Ranz
• Daihatsu

In 2012, Toyota Motor Corporation produced over 10 million vehicles – a feat not accomplished by any other automobile manufacturer in the world. This was also the year when Toyota Motor Corporation made its 200-millionth vehicle.

As of October 2016, Toyota Motor Corporation was the 5th largest company in the world by revenue.

In addition to being a dominating manufacturer of traditional motor vehicles, Toyota Motor Corporation is also an acknowledge forerunner in the field of hybrid motor vehicles. In January 2017, the cumulative global sales of Toyota and Lexus hybrid passengers car models reached the 10 million milestone, and Toyota is currently the world’s market leader in sales of hybrid electric vehicles. It is a leading force for mass-market adoption of hybrid vehicles worldwide, with its Prius family being the world’s top selling hybrid nameplate.

 

Ranking of TYO-listed Stocks by Market Capitalisation

Data from end of January 2018

Rank	Code	Issue	Market Capitalisation \100mil.
1	7203	TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION	244 072
2	8306	Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group,Inc.	115 139
3	9437	NTT DOCOMO, INC.	105 463
4	9984	SoftBank Group Corp.	98 839
5	6861	KEYENCE CORPORATION	80 781

 

Short facts about Toyota Motor Corporation

 

Japanese name	トヨタ自動車株式会社
Transcribed name	Toyota Jidosha KK
English name	Toyota Motor Corporation
Corporation type	Public (K.K.)
Industry	Automotive
Key products	Automobiles Luxury vehicles Commercial vehicles Engines
Production output	10,466,451 in 2017
Founded	August 28, 1937
Founder	Kiichiro Toyoda
Headquarters	Toyota, Aichi, Japan
Area served	Worldwide
Traded as	TYO: 7203 LSE: TYT NYSE: TM
International Securities Identification Number (ISIN)	JP3633400001
Index inclusion	Included in the TOPIX Core 30
Revenue	¥27.60 trillion(FY2017)
Operating income	¥1.Japan Trustee Services Bank99 trillion (FY2017)
Net income	¥1.93 trillion (FY2017)
Total assets	¥48.75 trillion (FY2017)
Total equity	¥18.18 trillion (FY2017)
Major shareholders in 2016	Japan Trustee Services Bank (9.70%) Toyota Industries (6.73%) The Master Trust Bank of Japan (5.32%) Nippon Life (3.59%) Denso (2.59%)
Number of employees	364,445 (2017)
Divisions	Lexus Toyota Racing Development (TRD)
Examples of subsidiaries	Japan Daihatsu Toyota Financial Services Toyota Motor East Japan Hino (57.21%)   Abroad Toyota (GB) PLC Toyota Kirloskar India (89%) Toyota Motor Corporation Australia Toyota Motor Europe Toyota Motor Manufacturing France Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK Toyota Motor North America Toyota Motor Russia Toyota Motor Sales USA Toyota Pakistan Toyota South Africa Motors Toyota Motor Thailand(86.43%) Toyota Canada (51%) Toyota Peugeot Citroën Automobile Czech (50%) Perodua (25%)
Examples of stakes	Subaru Corporation (16.66%) Isuzu (5.9%)
Examples of joint-ventures	GAC Toyota (in China) Sichuan FAW Toyota Motor (in China)

 

Toyota Motor Corporation

The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937 as a spinoff from his father’s automatic loom manufacturing company Toyota Industries. By then, Toyota Industries has already created its first engine and its first passenger car (the Toyota AA).

Toyota is famous for having developed and introduced many groundbreaking technologies to mass-market, such as Advanced Parking Guidance System, eight-speed automatic transmission, and four-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission with button for power and economy shifting.

Toyota has a large market share in the United States and is also a market leader in Australia. In Europe, its market share is considerably smaller. Toyota sells vehicles worldwide, and is for instance a major player in many African and South American countries. Through its Daihatsu subsidiary, Toyota has significant market shares in several fast-growing Southeast Asian markets.

Company strategy

Toyota is famous for developing and implementing the concepts Lean Manufacturing and Just In Time Production. Today, Toyota’s managerial values and businesses methods are known collectively as The Toyota Way. Adopted in 2001, the Toyota Way 2011 is an expression of values and conduct guidelines applicable to all Toyota employees.

External analysts have boiled down the Toyota Way to the following components:

• Long-term thinking as a basis for management decisions
• A process for problem-solving
• Adding value to the organisation by developing its people
• Recognising that continuously solving root problems drives organisational learning
• The Toyota Way incorporates the Toyota Production System

Examples of nonautomotive activities

Robotics

Toyota has developed multitask robots intended for manufacturing, entertainment and the care of humans. In 2004, they garnered a lot of publicity by unveiling a trumpet-playing robot. Toyota also participated in the development of

Kirobo

Toyota created a voice recognition function for Kirobo, Japan’s first robot astronaut. Kirobo arrived to the International Space Station (ISS) in August 2013 to accompany Kichi Wakata, the Japanese ISS commander. Kirobo was developed as a collaborative effort between Dentsu, the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, Toyota, Robo Garage, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).

Brain Machine Interface

The Brain Machine Interface is designed to make wheelchairs easier to operate for the user. Created by Toyota, this interface allows the user to control an electric wheelchair by thinking about how they want the chair to move. Using their own mind, the wheelchair user can make the chair go right, left and forward, and the delay between thought and movement is just 125 milliseconds.

Aerospace

Toyota is a minority shareholder in Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation.

Toyota has also considered participating in general aviation market. In 2002, they contracted with Scaled Composites to produce the proof of concept aircraft TAA-1.

Biotech

Toyota continuously invests in promising start-up businesses in the biotechnology field. This is a few examples of ventures in which Toyota is involved:

Australian Afforestation Pty. Ltd

P.T. Toyota Bio Indonesia

Sichuan Toyota Nitan Development Co., Ltd (in China)

Toyota Roof Garden Corporation (in Japan)

Toyota Floritech Co., Ltd (in Japan)

 Sewing machine technology

Toyota is the inventor of the free-motion embroidery sewing machine Oekaki Renaissance.

Traded as	TYO: 6301

Komatsu Limited is a Japanese multinational manufactoring corporation with manufactoring operations located in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Its key products are heavy equipment for construction, mining, military and industrial use. It does for instance make the D575, which is the largest bulldozer in the world. Another famous product from Komatus is the PC200-8 Hybrid. Launched in 2008, this 360-degree excavator stores the energy from slew-braking to boost power and reduce fuel consumption.

Komatsu is the world’s second largest manufacturer of construction equipment and mining equippment; only Caterpillar is larger. Japan and China are two examples of important markets where Komatsu actually have a larger market share than Caterpillar.

Within the field of industrial equipment, Komatsu is renowned for its press machines, lasers and thermoelectric generators.

Komatsu Limited is a part of the Komatsu Group. This group consists of 183 companies, including 146 consolidated subsidiaries and 35 that are accounted for by the equity method.

Since 1989, the time-honoured European manufacturer Hanomag, founded back in 1835, has been a wholly owneded subsidiary of Komatsu.

Short facts about Komatsu Limited

Japanese name	Full name: 株式会社小松製作所   Short name: コマツ
Transcribed name	Full name: Kabushiki-gaisha Komatsu Seisakusho   Short name: Komatsu
English name	Komatsu Limited
Company type	Public
Traded as	TYO: 6301
Index inclusion	TOPIX Large 70 Component
Industry	Heavy equipment Defense technology
Founded	13th of May, 1921
Headquarters	Tokyo, Japan
Products	Construction equipment Mining equipment Industrial machinery Military vehicles
Number of employees	47,204 (consolidated) Data from April 2018

International expansion

Since the 1970s, international expansion has been a very strong trend for Komatsu Limited.

In the 1990s, Komatsu expanded strongly in Asia, and also formed successful joint ventures with Cummins to manufacture Cummins engines in Japan and the USA. This was the decade when Komatsu moved strongly into markets such as China, Thailand, Vietnam, and India. (Note: Komatsu sold its shares in L&T-Komatsu Limited in India in 2013.) Towards the end of the decade, Komatsu Brasil International Ltda was created to strengthen Komatsu into the South American market.

The 2000s saw Komatsu making strides into Europe. In Germany, they established a partnership with The Linde Group, in Italy they formed Komatus Italy S.p. A and in Sweden they purchased the forest machinery manufacturer Partek Forest AB. Towards the end of the decade, Komatsu moved into Russia with the formation of Komatsu Manufacturing Rus, LLC.

Parallel with its European expansion, Komatsu strengthened its presence in China, setting up new operations to produce mini excavators, hydraulic equipment, power generators, and forklifts.

Background

Komatsu has its roots in the subsidiary Komatsu Iron Work, which was created by Takeuchi Mining Industry to create the industrial tools needed for the parent company’s mining operations. The subsidiary was named after the city Komatsu. In Japanese, ko matsu means small pine tree.

When the subsidiary had grown big enough, it was spun off as the public company Komatsu Ltd in May 1921. Ten years later, Komatsu took a big step by producing its first agricultural tractor prototype. This would soon lead to the company making tractors for the Japanese military, and eventually also tanks, howitzers (a type of artillery piece) and bulldozers. After World War II, Komatus branched out to produce non-military bulldozers and forklifts. Another important year for Komatsu was 1949 when it produced its first diesel engine. By 1957, all models manufactured by Komatsu had Komatsu engines.

In the 1950s, Japan was quickly putting itself back together after the massive destruction brought on by the war and equipment from Komatsu was in strong demand – especially bulldozers. Komatsu moved its headquarter to the capital and enjoyed a period of strong growth on the domestic market.

In the 1960s, Komatsu began selling its products abroad. During this era, Japanese postwar products had a reputation for being low-quality, a reputation that Komatsu struggled fiercely to shatter.

 

Traded as

TYO:6954

The Fanuc Corporation is listed on the first section of Tokyo Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the TOPIX Core 30 and Nikkei 225. The Fanuc Corporation is a part of FANUC, a group of companies that is chiefly composed of the Fanuc Corporation in Japan, Fanuc American Corporation in the USA and FANUC Europe Corporation S.A. In Luxembourg. Fanuc America Corporation is responsible for FANUC operations in both North America and South America.

FANUC, including the Fanuc Corporation, provides automation products and services, such as robotics and computer numerical control systems. FANUC is one of the main makers of industrial robots in the world, and its client list includes many prominent automobile and electronics manufactures around the globe. With approximately 2/3 of the global market, FANUC is the largest maker of CNC controls by market share.

Worldwide, FANUC is present in over 45 countries through 240+ subsidiaries, offices and joint ventures.

One of the reasons why I have chosen to invest in the Fanuc Corporation is because I predict that automation will become increasingly important in China in the years to come, and Fanuc is ideally positioned to supply Chinese manufactures with the products they need for this shift. Fanuc is already a major supplier to Chinese factories and is a very likely partner for the predicted “robot boom” in China. At the time of writing, the Chinese manufacturing industry have about three robots per 1,000 human workers.

Short facts about the Fanuc Corporation

Japanese name	ファナック株式会社
Transcribed name	Fanakku Kabushikigaisha
English name	The Fanuc Corporation
Company type	Public K.K.
Traded as	TYO:6954
Index inclusion	TOPIX Core 30 TOPIX 100 Nikkei 225
Industry	Manufacturing Robotics
Area served	Worldwide
Founded	1958
Founder	Fujitsu Ltd Seiuemon Inaba
Headquarter	Oshino-mura, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
Key products	Factory automation (FA) systems Industrial robots CNC equipment Laser systems
Revenue	¥536.94 billion (2017)
Operating income	¥153.22 billion (2017)
Net income	¥127.70 billion (2017)
Total assets	¥1564.77 billion (2017)
Total equity	¥1381.80 billion (2017)

Background

The Fanuc Corporation The company name Fanuc is derived from Fuji Automatic Numerical Control. In its early days, Fanuc was the part of Fujitsu Ltd that developed numerical control and servosystems.

It started in 1955, when Fujitsu Ltd asked the young engineer Seiuemon Inaba to head a new subsidiary that would focus on numerical control; a form of automation where instructions to motors were encoded into punched or magnetic tape. After three years of research and development, the subsidiary could ship Fujitsu’s first numerical-control machine to Makino Milling Machine Co.

FANUC Ltd

FANUC Ltd was created in 1972, as the Computing Control Division became an independent entity. At this point, all the ten major CNC companies were located in the USA, but ten years later FANUC Ltd had captured half of the global CNC market.