Sumitomo Historical Archives issued the 50th volume of the Sumitomo Historical Archives Journal in the milestone year of 2019, the first year of the Reiwa era.
To commemorate this milestone, Sumitomo Historical Archives planned a collection of research papers on Sumitomo’s modern management history and the resulting volume entitled Sumitomo’s Modern History is published by Minerva Shobo.
Sumitomo Historical Archives issued the 50th volume of the Sumitomo Historical Archives Journal in the milestone year of 2019, the first year of the Reiwa era.
To commemorate this milestone, Sumitomo Historical Archives planned a collection of research papers on Sumitomo’s modern management history and the resulting volume entitled Sumitomo’s Modern History is published by Minerva Shobo.
Zaibatsu played a leading role in Japan’s modernization and industrialization from the Meiji era (1868-1912) onward. In the early years of the Showa era (1926-1945), Sumitomo was one of the three major zaibatsu, the others being Mitsui and Mitsubishi.
Following the dissolution of the zaibatsu after World War II, compilation of company histories and the opening of related archives spurred research into the history of the zaibatsu. Although numerous books have been published delving into the business histories of Mitsui and Mitsubishi, Sumitomo has yet to receive the attention it so richly deserves.
In this collection of papers, seven researchers affiliated with Sumitomo Historical Archives present studies of aspects of Sumitomo’s modern history during 80 years from the Meiji era to the dissolution of the zaibatsu, focusing on Sumitomo’s role in the Japanese economy.
The title and the author (affiliation) of each chapter are as follows.
| Foreword Mitsui, Mitsubishi, and Sumitomo |
Masahiro Shimotani Director of Sumitomo Historical Archives |
| Chapter 1 Corporate Governance and Director-Generals of Modern Sumitomo |
Teruaki Sueoka Deputy Director of Sumitomo Historical Archives |
| Chapter 2 Sumitomo Besshi Mine Co., Ltd. in the Post-war Showa Era |
Junko Watanabe Research Advisor to Sumitomo Historical Archives Professor, Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University |
| Chapter 3 Sumitomo Head Office’s Organizational Structure and Affiliated Companies |
Masahiro Shimotani Director of Sumitomo Historical Archives |
| Chapter 4 Distributors of Sumitomo Head Office—Mainly during the War— |
Tomohiro Maki Chief Researcher, Sumitomo Historical Archives |
| Chapter 5 Great Kanto Earthquake and Sumitomo |
Ryo Umihara Chief Researcher, Sumitomo Historical Archives |
| Chapter 6 Sumitomo’s Collateralized Finance in the Meiji Era |
Hideaki Sato Researcher, Sumitomo Historical Archives |
| Chapter 7 Sumitomo Bank and the Bank Association in the Meiji Era |
Ryoichi Yasukuni Supervisor, Sumitomo Historical Archives |
Sumitomo’s Modern History, a collection of research papers touching on various facets of the development of management in Japan and the country’s modern history, contains much that will be of interest to people affiliated with the Sumitomo Group. We recommend the book to your attention.
For details of the book, including synopses of the papers, click the URL below (Sumitomo Historical Archives, Minerva Shobo). (Information is in Japanese.)
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