Japan’s Centenarian Firms Top 45,000, Led by 1,321-Year-Old Keiunkan
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Jul 7
Japan’s Centenarian Firms Top 45,000, Led by 1,321-Year-Old Keiunkan
1 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Jul 7
Summary
More than 45,000 Japanese companies have now operated for at least 100 years, up from over 33,000 in Teikoku Databank’s 2019 survey as more early-20th-century firms cross the threshold.
Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, founded in 705 in Yamanashi and certified by Guinness in 2011 as the world’s oldest hotel, has become the best-known symbol of that expanding group.
Around 140 Japanese firms are estimated to be older than 500 years, and a 2008 Bank of Korea study found Japan accounted for more than half of companies over 200 years old across 41 countries.
Their longevity is often tied to conservative management—sticking to core trades, holding cash and avoiding debt—while adult adoption helped preserve family control when no direct heir was available.
That model is under strain: Keiunkan’s 52-generation family run ended in 2017, and Japan’s shrinking population is forcing more old firms toward adoption, sale or closure.