Political Merchants (政商)
Seisho (Political Merchants) refers to businessmen and companies who obtain exclusive economic benefits and guide certain policies to serve their own interests by taking advantage of their connections with politicians and high-ranking government officials. This word, which originally referred to that class of businessmen that appeared in the Meiji period, belongs to the historical category.
Famous Political Merchants
Mitsui Zaibatsu
Takatoshi MITSUI (a purveyor to the Edo bakufu [Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun])
Rizaemon MINOMURA
Mitsubishi Zaibatsu
Yataro IWASAKI
The First National Bank (the present-day Mizuho Bank, Ltd.)
Eichi SHIBUSAWA
Kansai Boeki Sha (Kansai Trading Company)
Tomoatsu GODAI
Okura Zaibatsu
Kihachiro OKURA
Furukawa Zaibatsu
Ichibe FURUKAWA
Hokkaido Colliery & Steamship Co., Ltd. (Mitsui Kanko Kaihatsu K.K.)
Kichitaro HAGIWARA
Fujita-Gumi (Fujita Zaibatsu)
Denzaburo FUJITA
Goichi NAKANO
Takenaka Corporation
Renichi TAKENAKA
The Yomiuri Group
Matsutaro SHORIKI
Tsuneo WATANABE
The Tokyu Group
Keita GOTO
The Seibu Group
Yasujiro TSUTSUMI
Yoshiaki TSUTSUMI
Kumagai Gumi Co., Ltd.
Tasaburo KUMAGAI
Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd.
Kenji OSANO
ITOCHU Corporation
Ryuzo SEJIMA
Fukushima-kotsu Co., Ltd.
Rekiji KOBARI
Sagawa Express Co., Ltd.
Kiyoshi SAGAWA
Hiroyasu WATANABE
ORIX Corporation (a business corporation)
Yoshihiko MIYAUCHI
TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION
Hiroshi OKUDA
Canon Inc.
Fujio MITARAI
Mizutani Kensetsu Co.
Isao MIZUTANI
YAMADA CORPORATION
Motonobu MIYAZAKI
Tokushukai, Ltd.
Torao TOKUDA