Date of Award
6-2010
Document Type
Union College Only
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Asian Studies
First Advisor
Joyce Madancy
Language
English
Keywords
zaibatsu, japanese, keiretsu, companies, japan
Abstract
In order to fully consider the development of the zaibatsu and keiretsu both within Japan and through the perspective of outside observers, this thesis takes a generally chronological format. The first chapter considers various definitions of the term zaibatsu, and traces the development of the zaibatsu in relation to both the growth of the Japanese economy following the Meiji Restoration and subsequent Japanese imperialism up to WWII, and considers how Japanese culture and business interacted in the formation of the companies. The second chapter considers Japanese perceptions of the zaibatsu prior to WWII, the conglomerates’ actions during the war, and the Allied Occupation’s motives, goals, and policies for zaibatsu dissolution. In the third chapter, the relationship between the modern keiretsu and the zaibatsu will be investigated to determine whether the keiretsu are merely reenergized versions of the zaibatsu or, as I argue, are distinct from the pre-war companies in business practices, structure, and relationships within the Japanese economy and with the government. The final chapter is a case study of the Mitsubishi Corporation from its pre-Meiji roots and growth as a zaibatsu to its dissolution and the eventual formation of the Mitsubishi keiretsu.
Recommended Citation
Sheridan, Casey L., "The land where the sun refuses to set : reconsidering negative perceptions of big business in Japan from 1868 to the present" (2010). Honors Theses. 1225.
https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses/1225