During World War II, the Mitsubishi zaibatsu was the economic backing of the Japanese invasion of China, and did everything possible to support the war. In this process, the Mitsubishi chaebol has always pursued the so-called purpose of "serving and dedicating to the country" and spared no effort to step up the accumulation of wealth.

Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries can be said to be the main industries that support the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army. Mitsubishi Electric

Founded in 1921, in addition to general products such as electrical appliances and equipment, it also manufactures large engines, induction motors, transformers, etc., which are used in large-scale products such as ships and aircraft. Soon after the establishment of Mitsubishi Electric, it established a cooperative relationship with Westinghouse in the United States, and it did not take long for the cooperation to become the first in the Japanese motor industry. In addition, the company is actively engaged in technical agreements with a number of other companies. In 1929, its capital reached 120 million yen, and there were 12 major factories in Nagoya, Kobe, Fukuoka and other places throughout the country. The company's own direct subsidiaries at the time included the Mitsubishi Chemical Plant and Japan's Kentetsu Industrial Corporation.

Oil is an important war readiness material. Mitsubishi Petroleum was established in March 1931 by a joint venture between Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Mining Corporation and the Federal Oil Corporation of the United States. Around 1936. Centered on the Kawasaki Oil Refinery, the company supplies a large amount of oil to Japan. As tensions between Japan and the United States grew, the U.S. company withdrew, and the company became a subsidiary of Mitsubishi. After the war, relations between the two companies were restored.

Mitsubishi Corporation, one of the Mitsubishi zaibatos, was also extremely active in World War II. In 1941, it had 27 offices in Asia, and 5 in Europe, in addition to a large number of offices in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea

There are 8 offices in North and South America and 4 in Australia, with a total of 46 offices and employees

6500 people. Beginning in 1919, the company opened a supply base for grain and cotton in Hebei, China. During the war, grain was obtained from there, and then transported to various places through Shanghai and Qingdao as transit points. In addition, the company also deals in aquatic products, food, mineral products, raw materials and other important military supplies, and also wantonly plunders China's mineral resources, extending its hand to Shandong Mining, Shanxi Taiyuan Coal Mine and other places.

In 1943, Mitsubishi Chaibatsu became independent from the Ship Division, and the joint-stock company Okazaki Honten was merged to form the Mitsubishi Kisen Company (later Mitsubishi Shipping), which was responsible for transporting cement, steel, seafood, oil, and other materials.

In 1937, Mitsubishi Land established Mitsubishi Real Estate, which was the latest in the joint venture, and was engaged in architectural design, supervision, and continued expansion of business in Kunnai and other places, while it invested in North Korea and engaged in the leasing of office buildings and the construction and management of residential apartments. Later, it also set up a munitions factory in the country.

Mitsubishi's chemical industry is a sector that started late. In 1934, Mitsubishi Mining and Asahi Pinko jointly funded the establishment of Nippon Tar Industry Co., Ltd. in Kurosaki, Fukuoka Prefecture, to produce coal-based fertilizers, industrial chemicals, and special chemicals. In 1940, the company was changed to Nippon Kasei Industry and became a branch company of Mitsubishi;

In 1944, it merged with Asahi Pinzi and changed its name to Mitsubishi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. Asahi Pinko was founded by Iwasaki Shunya, the younger brother of Koyata Iwasaki.

After the death of Iwasaki Shunya in 1930, he was succeeded by Iwasaki Koyata. In the era of Japan's Kasei, it merged again

Xinxing Rayon Co., Ltd., which operates the chemical knitting industry, is the prototype of today's Mitsubishi rayon. In Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, in 1938, the construction of super-battleships began. The Musashi (7.2,218 tons), which lasted four years, was completed in 1942 and became the main ship of the Navy. In 1939, the "Zero War" was built. It also mass-produced vehicles, guns and other weapons, forming a comprehensive heavy industry base with a complete range of fields including shipbuilding, aviation, and internal combustion engines. Regardless of scale, production capacity and technical level,

All of them are the first in Japan, and they are beyond the reach of other departments.

The Mitsubishi Bank, which acted as the lubricant of the Mitsubishi organization, had deposits of 480 million yen in 1943. In 1945, deposits amounted to 12.17 billion yen. In the same year, the bank merged with the 100th Bank under the guidance of the government's policy of strengthening financial institutions, and bought Morimura Bank, Kanehara Bank, and Tokyo Nakano Bank. At that time, the bank had 170 branches and employed 6,900 people.

Chapter 5: The Fall of Mitsubishi

1. Occupation by U.S. troops

Beginning in July 1944, the Japanese mainland was hit by a large-scale air raid by U.S. aircraft, causing great damage to Mitsubishi's factories and a sharp decline in productivity. In August 1945, Japan surrendered unconditionally, and the U.S. Army occupied Japan, ending World War II.

On August 30, 1945, MacArthur's landline slowly landed at Atsugi Airport in Japan.

After the US occupation of Japan, the US military promulgated a series of strict occupation policies, such as the dissolution of the Japanese military headquarters, the designation of war criminals, the dismantling of the chaebols, the opening of land, the participation of women in politics, the formation of trade unions, and the dissolution of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which completely shook Japan's political and economic foundations.

From a sociological point of view, the two measures of opening up the land and dismantling the chaebols were of the most profound significance in the Allied occupation policy against Japan. In Japanese society, people generally believe that the zaibatsu is the culprit of war crimes and must bear the responsibility for the war, especially Mitsubishi is the center of gravity of Japan's heavy industry, and has assisted the Japanese military department to vigorously promote the munitions industry, and is the main culprit in assisting the Japanese Empire to launch the war. The other chaebols reacted quickly to the disintegration order issued by the occupying forces, and most of them expressed deferential obedience to the occupying forces and applied for spontaneous disintegration. And the Mitsubishi chaebol is stubborn. Until his death, Koyata Iwasaki emphasized: "There is no shame in us just following the national policy and doing our best to fulfill our obligations for the country." "Iwasaki Koyata believed that if the occupying forces directly issued an order for the dissolution of the zaibatsu, as a citizen of the defeated country, there was no way to resist. However, the Japanese government came forward to demand the dissolution of the zaibatsu and the Japanese government became the spokesman of the US military, which Iwasaki Koyata has always been worried about. During the war, Iwasaki Koya was too tired and was already sick in bed. Two months after Japan's defeat in the war, Iwasaki Koyata still supported his sick body and negotiated with the then Minister of Tsukasawa. The talks between Koyata Iwasaki and Kei Sanzang will naturally not be fruitful. During an interview with Kenji Kodama, president of the "Final War Liaison Bureau", Koyata Iwasaki was also furious and fiercely criticized the Japanese government. However, the Japanese government was completely under the control of the American occupation forces at that time, and not only the government's politicians, military personnel, but even the heads of the zaibatsu were accused of war

Possibility of prisoners.

The orders of the Allied General Headquarters were extremely strong, with no room for manoeuvre, and there were growing calls for attacks on the zaibatsu at home, arguing that the crimes of Japanese imperialism should be borne by the zaibatsu, and that it was the chaebol's frenzied pursuit of profit that led to the war. As a result, the chaebol became more and more isolated, and no matter how much Iwasaki resisted, he still did not escape the fate of being dismantled.

On October 29, 1944, Iwasaki Koyata was admitted to the hospital due to illness. On the same day, representatives of Japan's four major chaebols (Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, Yasuda) were summoned to the Ministry of Finance. Mitsubishi Corporation Chairman Kanzo Tanaka attended the meeting on behalf of the Mitsubishi zaibatsu. The Ministry of Finance demanded that the four chaebols issue a joint statement that they are willing to take a spontaneous dissolution.

On November 1, 1945, the last general meeting of shareholders was held at the Mitsubishi Main Building in Marunouchi, Tokyo, in accordance with the promise of the dissolution of Iwasaki Koyata. This conference, Iwasaki Koyata was unable to attend due to illness, and was presided over by Chairman Yuichi Funada.

At this general meeting of shareholders, the Iwasaki family was retired, and new members of the leadership were elected. In addition to President Koya Iwasaki and Vice President Hikoya Iwasaki, there are many people who hold senior positions in Mitsubishi, such as Yuichi Funada, chairman of the board of directors, Sumito Hirai, executive director, Takeo Kato (from a bank), Shinzo Mitsuhashi (warehouse), Shofumi Yamamuro (trust), and Koshiro Spo

(Heavy Industries), Inspector Shoe Suzuki (Tokio Marine) and others. Kanzo Tanaka (Mitsubishi Corporation) was appointed as the new president, and Harunosuke Suzuki and Toshio Ishiguro were appointed executive directors, and the liquidation work began.

Koyata Iwasaki heard a detailed report from the conference from his hospital bed at Todai Hospital. In the middle of the night on December 2, his condition suddenly deteriorated, his major artery ruptured, and he passed away in an instant. Some people say that Iwasaki Koya is angry, whether this is the case or not, in short, he left in the autumn of the fall of the Mitsubishi dynasty. Iwasaki Koya passed away, leaving behind the older Iwasaki Kuya who retreated from the front line first. Iwasaki Koya was on the front line and resisted to the death as a dictator, while Iwasaki Kuya lived a plain and stable life with strong self-restraint. Iwasaki Kuya's residence in Shimoya Chewu in Tokyo was confiscated as the residence of a U.S. military general, and all he had left was the land of his hometown in Tosa and his base in Komatsu, Tokyo. Unable to pay taxes, half of the land in the farm was given to Furi

Village.

Iwasaki died in 1955 at the age of 91. Until his death, he lived in a villa at Mitsubishi Farm in Chiba Prefecture, which was later transferred to Chiba Prefecture and its servants. This talented and far-sighted old man has been silently enduring the change of fate. Iwasaki Kuya's eldest daughter, Miki Sawada, is engaged in childcare business in Oiso, Kanagawa Prefecture, and opened a nursery school, Elizabeth Santa House, which is famous for adopting mixed-race orphans.

2. Acceptance of shares

The initial dissolution of the chaebol was to give away all the shares owned by the chaebol family, the designated holding company. The executive body is the Holding Company Consolidation Committee, which was established in August 1946.

The shares of the holding company and the chaebol family are very large. Pre-war 1945, iii

The four major chaebols, including I, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, and Yasuda, control one-quarter of the operating capital of domestic corporations, so where are such huge shares eventually absorbed? There is such a set of data:

In 1949, the individual shareholding ratio was 69.14%. That is to say, the shares of the chaebol are dispersed to the large

The amount of individual shareholders. But in reality, individual shareholders are just empty shelves in name. Because under the inflation at that time, ordinary people were barely able to make ends meet, and they simply could not afford to buy stocks anymore. Therefore, these stocks are purchased in the name of individuals by the company by providing loans to leaders and employees, and in essence, the company still owns shares. Moreover, in order to evade the investigation of the "Bureau of Economic Sciences" under the Allied General Headquarters, the chaebols also desperately transferred their shares to related accounts.

It has been said that this "empty shelf" of the disintegration of the chaebol provides warmth for the regrouping of the chaebol after the war

Soil. However, for the Iwasaki family at that time, the disintegration of the chaebol was a grim and inescapable event. After the Iwasaki family was designated as a chaebol family, they were severely restricted from serving as leading members of Mitsubishi Corporation. A total of 11 members of the Iwasaki family were banned from serving at Mitsubishi. These people are: Hisaya Iwasaki, Hikoya Iwasaki, Takaya Iwasaki, Tsuneya Iwasaki, Tadao Iwasaki, Shuko Iwasaki, Takako Iwasaki, Katsutaro Iwasaki, Yasuya Iwasaki, Teruma Iwasaki, Yaho Iwasaki, and only Tadao Iwasaki was the president of Mitsubishi Cement Chemical in 1972. The Iwasaki family's dictatorial control completely collapsed.

3. Designated as a holding company

On September 6, 1946, Mitsubishi Headquarters was designated as a holding company by the Holding Company Reorganization Committee

On October 1 of that year, it was officially decided to dissolve, and it was not until 1952 that the liquidation work was completed. In addition to the Mitsubishi Headquarters, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Mitsubishi Corporation are designated as affiliated companies

Ryoden, Mitsubishi Chemical and Mining (all designated for the third time on December 8, 1946), relatives of the company

NYK was also designated as the holding company for the second time on December 7. Among the successive orders for the disintegration of the chaebol, the dissolution of Mitsubishi Corporation and the division of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries were the most violent.

On December 28, 1946, Mitsubishi Corporation was designated as a holding company for the third time, and on December 31, 1946, the U.S. occupation forces took over the head office building. On January 4 of the following year, the U.S. military issued the first royal decree to track down war criminals, and on January 15, President Ichiro Hattori withdrew from the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, and Knejiro Akigaki was inaugurated as the new president. Half a year later, the "Bureau of Economic Sciences" under the Allied General Headquarters issued an order to dissolve Mitsubishi Corporation. At the time of the dissolution order, Mitsubishi Corporation had 4,086 employees, a turnover of 6.07 billion yen, and assets

It amounted to 1.97 billion yen. Mitsubishi Corporation proposed a number of proposals for the division and conveyed them to the Bureau of Economic Science and Technology, but they were all rejected without mercy, and in the end, MC was split into 139 independent companies.

Compared with Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries can be said to be the lucky one, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was the largest and strongest company in Japan in all aspects, and its subordinate munitions factories were a strong backing for Japan's foreign wars, and in the disintegration of the chaebol, it was naturally a key target.

In April 1946, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries formulated a plan for the division of shipbuilding, machinery, and vehicles into three major industries, and submitted it to the Bureau of Economic Science. Since then, various divisions have been prepared, and there has been a proposal to separate them into 23 business sites. But for some reason, the Bureau of Economic Science has not made a clear statement. During this time, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries prepared for the worst.

However, with the intensification of the confrontation and contradictions between the United States and the Soviet Union, the US policy toward Japan has also undergone subtle changes. In the end, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries received leniency, and in January 1950, it was divided into three companies: East Japan Heavy Industries, Central Japan Heavy Industries, and West Japan Heavy Industries.

In April 1952, Japan and the United States signed a peace treaty, and the Mitsubishi trademark was resurrected

Don't change your name to Mitsubishi Japan Heavy Industries, New Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding. During the period until the re-merger in June 1962, the three companies developed independently.

After Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was divided into three parts, Mitsubishi Mining was left with only the coal division and the metal division

Gate, the latter was spun off and Taiping Mining (now Mitsubishi Metal) was established. Mitsubishi Chemical was divided into Nippon Kasei (later Mitsubishi Chemical), Asahi Glass, Shinko Rayon (now Mitsubishi Rayon). Mitsubishi Electric had signed a technical assistance contract with Westinghouse in the United States before the war, but it was saved unscathed through the skillful maneuvering of President Shinichi Takasugi. In addition, due to the fear of dividing finance

There was a great chaos in the organization, and Mitsubishi Bank was renamed Chiyoda Bank.

II. Mitsubishi after World War II Chapter 1 Mitsubishi Enterprises regrouped

1. Mitsubishi Corporation's merger with Yang and Real Estate

The scattered Mitsubishi Corporation did not disappear from here, and after the war, they were regrouped and reorganized with strong momentum.

When comparing the characteristics of Mitsubishi and Mitsui, it is often described as Mitsubishi as "organized Mitsubishi" and Mitsui as "Mitsui for people". This contrast is more appropriate to describe the post-war regrouping of the Mitsubishi Group. Mitsubishi has a large number of outstanding talents, but as a Mitsubishi employee, no matter how outstanding and excellent, he must be absolutely loyal to the Iwasaki family or the Mitsubishi chaebol, and the Mitsubishi Group will not tolerate half-hearted behavior by its subordinates. Two events before the war can fully illustrate this phenomenon: Okumura Masao, who served as a director of the Mitsubishi Joint Venture and as Japan's representative to the detailed trade agreement between Japan and the Soviet Union, proposed a large-scale development plan for sulfur in Korea, but was desperately attacked by some people, and Iwasaki Koyata also thought that he had "two hearts" and finally let him leave Mitsubishi; Since serving as a cabinet advisor to the Tojo Cabinet, Gogu has been no longer valued within Mitsubishi, and has been demoted from president to chairman. It can be seen that the members of the "organized Mitsubishi" must be wholeheartedly loyal to the organization and must not "step on two boats."

The difference between "Mitsui for people" and "Mitsubishi for organization" is between Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corporation

The process of merging each of them is vividly and vividly. Most of MC's companies are new companies centered around workplaces within the same business department. They underwent a major merger in July 1954. The merger of Mitsui & Co., on the other hand, was delayed by four years due to personnel issues.

After the war, one of the most famous things about the restructuring and merger of the Mitsubishi Group was Yowa Real Estate

Buyout event. Yowa Real Estate is the second company of the Real Estate Division of Mitsubishi Headquarters, which was liquidated in 1950, and was established jointly with Kanto Real Estate. In the spring of 1952, Yowa Real Estate was bought by the speculation dealer Fujitsuna faction for 250,000 shares, which accounted for more than one-third of the total shares, and they wanted to take over the company's personnel further. After the shares were bought out by them, the stock price soared, once reaching 1,600 yuan per share. This incident caused a strong reaction among the Mitsubishi companies, and Mitsubishi has long been praised as an "organized Mitsubishi", and if they were allowed to do so, it would be as if the hope of the Mitsubishi people had been cut off, and the matter could not be left unattended. Therefore, after urgent deliberation among the Mitsubishi elders, Takeo Kato, the former chairman of Mitsubishi Bank, decided to buy back all 250,000 shares at a high price of 1,600 yuan per share, which was jointly completed by 10 Mitsubishi companies, and the required funds were financed by Mitsubishi Bank. The cost of this activity is quite high, but it is not just a matter of yang and real estate, but it affects the hearts of all Mitsubishi people

Spiritual pillars.

In April 1953, Yowa Real Estate and Kanto Real Estate merged to form Mitsubishi Real Estate.

The economic crisis triggered a major merger

The merger of Mitsubishi Corporation was one step ahead of Mitsui & Co., and this is precisely the embodiment of the organized Mitsubishi Corporation, and the merger of Mitsubishi Corporation is of epoch-making significance for the entire Mitsubishi Group.

After Mitsubishi Corporation was split into 139 companies of various sizes, these scattered new Mitsubishi companies managed to stay afloat with a weak operating foundation and low creditworthiness.

During the period of 1949~1950, there was inflation and a worldwide economic crisis. In order to tide over the difficulties, the new Mitsubishi companies have started merger activities one after another. At that time, due to the turmoil in North Korea,

The U.S. military's policy toward Japan has also shown a trend of relaxation, which has further accelerated the pace of the merger. In 1952~1953, the atmosphere of the merger was very strong, and many scattered companies were merged into four companies: Koko Kogyo Kogyo, Fuji Corporation, Tokyo Trading, and Tokyo Stock Exchange, laying the foundation for the merger.

Kowa Kogyo Co., Ltd., the second company of the former Mitsubishi Corporation, was established in April 1950 to deal with debts, debts, real estate, and warehouses inherited from the former Mitsubishi Corporation. The company was renamed Mitsubishi Corporation due to the repeal of the Chaebol Regulation Act on August 1, 1952.

On July 23, 1953, the new Mitsubishi Corporation was born. With a capital of 650 million yen and an annual turnover of 220 billion yen, it was the largest and most powerful large trading company in Japan at the time.

In the process of Mitsubishi Corporation's merger, the president of Fuji Trading Co., Ltd., Katsujiro Takagaki worked hardest. Tokyo Trade Association President Hattori Ichiro, Tokyo Trade President Kiyohiko So, East-West Trade Association Nagabota Kirinosuke, Mitsubishi Corporation (former Kowa Kogyo Co., Ltd.) President Yuta Matsumoto. In addition, Tadajiro Fujino (then vice president of Tokyo Boeki) and Ichiro Terao (then vice president of Fuji Trading) also played a big role behind the scenes, and Takeo Kato, an elder from Mitsubishi Bank, also gave strong support.

Fuji Shoji was formed in March 1952 by the merger of four companies, Toshi Shoji, Marunouchi Shoji, Kokuto Shoji, and Meiko Shoji, and was excluded for a time due to its poor financial condition, but was allowed to merge only after the merger ratio was lowered to 0.5 lower than that of the other three companies.

At the time of the Mitsubishi Corporation's merger, there was fierce bargaining over the merger ratio, Fujino

Tadajiro had advocated that the merger ratio should be determined according to the financial performance of each company. But in the end, the suggestion of Takeo Kato and others was adopted, and the merger was equal. It can also be seen that although it is an "organized Mitsubishi", it is not absolute, and in many cases, the human factor also plays an important role.

The camp of New Mitsubishi Corporation is as follows: Katsujiro Shogaki is the first president. Kiyohiko Tsuyoshi served as the second generation of the company

Tadajiro Fujino was appointed as the third president, and Ichiro Terao was appointed as vice president (later transferred to Mitsubishi Gas Chemical). At the time of the merger, Fuji Shoji, Tokyo Trading, and Tozai Trading also established Japanese-funded companies in New York, and thanks to the active efforts of Sabun Toshiken (former commercial director) and others, they were joined by three other companies in their home countries

The merger was carried out to establish Mitsubishi Corporation of the United States.

In December 1953, six months after the merger, Mitsubishi Corporation quadrupled its capital (2.5 billion yen in new capital), and the new shares were distributed to various Mitsubishi companies, including Tokio Marine, Bank of Mitsubishi, and Meiji Life. In this way, the capital relationship in which companies hold shares with each other replaces the centralized control of the pre-war chaebol headquarters.