The first Mitsubishi company was a shipping company founded by Yatoro Iwasaki (1834-1885) in 1870. In 1873, the company name was changed to Mitsubishi Shokai (三菱 商会: Tam Lang Trade Association). The name Mitsubishi (三菱) has two parts: "" mitsu "" means tam "" three "" and "" hishi "" ie lang ("" bishi "sound" in the middle of the word) means "" root "" na, "the bulb has two sharp points. From that source, Mitsubishi classified three stylized tubers as a symbol (logo) for the company.
The company moved into mining in 1881 after purchasing Takashima coal mine [1] and Hashima island in 1890, using the product as a raw material for the steam fleet. The company also began to diversify its business into shipbuilding, insurance, cargo handling and trading. Later diversification continued with Mitsubishi's entry into various sectors such as paper, steel, glass, electronics, aircraft carriers, oil and real estate. When Mitsubishi built a large union, it played an important role in the modernization of Japanese industry.
Because of the diversification process, Mitsubishi later established three subsidiaries:
Mitsubishi Bank (now part of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group) was founded in 1919.
After merging with Tokyo Bank in 1996. and UFJ Holdings 2004, this became the largest bank in Japan.
Mitsubishi Corporation was established in 1950, the largest trading company in Japan.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries divided into three companies
Mitsubishi Motors was the sixth-biggest Japanese automaker and the nineteenth-biggest worldwide by production
Mitsubishi Atomic Industry, an atomic energy company
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings, Japan's largest chemical company.
The history of MHI begins with our 1884 start of a full-fledged shipbuilding business in Nagasaki. After that point, we made rapid progress as we pursued the advances taking place in Europe and the United States. In addition to shipbuilding, we drove our growth by building automobiles, aircraft, turbines, and internal-combustion engines. Later, we also turned our world-leading technologies to the manufacture of products to meet military demand, such as battleships and fighters.
The 1973 oil crisis marked the end of Japan's rapid economic growth and had a major impact on MHI's business, particularly in shipbuilding. After that point, we established an industrial machinery business and enjoyed steady expansion until Japan again entered a period of slow growth following the bursting of its economic bubble. During that period, we succeeded in launching rockets and expanded our business domains to include aerospace. Although we continued to hone our leading-edge technologies, annual net sales remained around the ¥3 trillion level for approximately 30 years.
Although growth in Japan has leveled off, the economies of overseas emerging countries have been expanding rapidly, pushing up demand for infrastructure development. Also, amid a growing sense of crisis about climate change and the depletion of natural resources, environmental protection has become a consistent theme worldwide.
For MHI, which has supplied diverse infrastructure over many years and pursued environmentally friendly technologies since the oil crisis, this situation has presented new opportunities for growth, and we are pursuing the path to becoming a global company.
With a perspective gained from 130 years of history and tradition on land, at sea, in the sky and in space, MHI Group addresses social issues and takes on challenges for the future.
