46,708 Long-Standing 'Shinise' Companies Nationwide: 70% in Manufacturing, Wholesale, and Retail, with Brewing Industries Standing Out
As of December 2025, there are 46,708 companies in Japan with over 100 years of history, pushing the 'long-standing company emergence rate' above 3% for the first time. Kyoto Prefecture leads the country in this metric, while manufacturing, wholesale, and retail sectors account for approximately 70% of these long-standing businesses. These companies, characterized by their ability to adapt to changing times, continue to attract global attention as models of resilient management.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: March 28, 2026 at 16:06
- 🔍 Collected: March 28, 2026 at 21:59 (5h 53m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 15, 2026 at 06:25 (416h 25m after Collected)
Based on the corporate profile file 'COSMOS2' maintained by Teikoku Databank (as of December 2025, containing approximately 1.5 million companies), along with independently collected data verified for actual business operations, companies with over 100 years of history since their founding or establishment were defined as 'long-standing companies' (shinise) and analyzed. In cases where only the era or period was known for the founding, the final year of that respective era or period was used as the founding year for calculations.
As of December 2025, there were 46,708 companies with an operational history exceeding 100 years. The 'long-standing company emergence rate,' which indicates the proportion of such companies nationwide, reached 3.11%, exceeding 3% for the first time. Approximately 1,900 companies founded in 1925 (Taisho 14), the year NHK began radio broadcasting and the Universal Suffrage Act was promulgated, joined the ranks of long-standing companies.
Among these approximately 46,000 companies, 1,836 have a history of over 200 years, 905 over 300 years, and 47 over 500 years. Notably, there are 11 companies with a history of over 1,000 years, led by Kong Gumi (founded in 578, Osaka Prefecture), which is famous as Japan's oldest company. By era, 178 companies were founded before the Edo Shogunate was established in 1603, 3,480 during the Edo period, 22,070 in the Meiji era, and 20,980 in the Taisho era.
By prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture topped the list with a 5.45% emergence rate. It is believed that its prosperity as an ancient capital and relatively minor damage during World War II contributed to the survival of these long-standing companies. Following Kyoto, the 'sake brewing hubs' of Yamagata and Niigata prefectures also exceeded 5%. In total, 23 prefectures exceeded the national average of 3.11%. Conversely, major metropolitan areas showed lower rates: Tokyo at 2.32%, Osaka at 2.30%, and Aichi at 2.95%. Okinawa Prefecture remained at a low 0.17%, with its most common type of long-standing business being 'distilled/mixed liquor manufacturing,' specifically awamori.
When looking at the emergence rate by city, ward, or county, 10 regions exceeded 10%. Four of these were in Kyoto City, including Higashiyama Ward, which had a standout rate of 19.20%. Additionally, Katsuura City in Chiba Prefecture, famous for its fishing industry and historical morning markets, and Choshi City, a renowned soy sauce production center, ranked highly.
By industry, manufacturing was the most common, accounting for 24.4% of all long-standing companies, followed by retail (22.2%) and wholesale (21.2%), which together make up nearly 70%. While construction and service industries are prevalent among companies as a whole, long-standing companies are concentrated in manufacturing, wholesale, and retail.
In terms of sub-sectors, 'rental office services' topped the list by number with 1,552 companies, often representing businesses that shifted to office management by utilizing long-held real estate, highlighting the strength of stable asset ownership. 'Sake manufacturing' followed with 938 companies, and 'ryokan (inns)' with 795. By emergence rate, sake manufacturing exceeded 90% at 91.9%. Other brewing-related industries, such as soy sauce/amino acid and miso manufacturing, also ranked high, as did firework and industrial explosive manufacturing/wholesaling.
Regarding annual sales, approximately 80% of long-standing companies fall under 1 billion yen, with 41.8% under 100 million yen and 37.2% between 100 million and 1 billion yen. While many are small-scale, the majority have consistently maintained operations over a long period. Conversely, the higher the sales bracket, the higher the emergence rate; while companies with over 100 billion yen in sales account for only 1.0% of the total, 19.4% of all companies in Japan with sales over 100 billion yen are long-standing companies.
In 2025, 142 long-standing companies (with liabilities of 10 million yen or more) went bankrupt, citing failures in price pass-through and governance issues. Bankruptcies among companies with over 30 years of history, including long-standing ones, reached a 10-year high of 3,263, indicating that many companies still face challenges with cash flow.
To continue operations for so long, companies must accurately capture the needs of the times and continue to engage in new endeavors such as product development, the introduction of new technologies, and the opening of new sales channels. Japanese long-standing companies attract global attention, and there is much to be learned from those that have overcome crises like disasters and wars. With approximately 2,000 companies expected to reach their 100th anniversary in 2026, the long-standing company emergence rate is expected to continue to rise.
As of December 2025, there were 46,708 companies with an operational history exceeding 100 years. The 'long-standing company emergence rate,' which indicates the proportion of such companies nationwide, reached 3.11%, exceeding 3% for the first time. Approximately 1,900 companies founded in 1925 (Taisho 14), the year NHK began radio broadcasting and the Universal Suffrage Act was promulgated, joined the ranks of long-standing companies.
Among these approximately 46,000 companies, 1,836 have a history of over 200 years, 905 over 300 years, and 47 over 500 years. Notably, there are 11 companies with a history of over 1,000 years, led by Kong Gumi (founded in 578, Osaka Prefecture), which is famous as Japan's oldest company. By era, 178 companies were founded before the Edo Shogunate was established in 1603, 3,480 during the Edo period, 22,070 in the Meiji era, and 20,980 in the Taisho era.
By prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture topped the list with a 5.45% emergence rate. It is believed that its prosperity as an ancient capital and relatively minor damage during World War II contributed to the survival of these long-standing companies. Following Kyoto, the 'sake brewing hubs' of Yamagata and Niigata prefectures also exceeded 5%. In total, 23 prefectures exceeded the national average of 3.11%. Conversely, major metropolitan areas showed lower rates: Tokyo at 2.32%, Osaka at 2.30%, and Aichi at 2.95%. Okinawa Prefecture remained at a low 0.17%, with its most common type of long-standing business being 'distilled/mixed liquor manufacturing,' specifically awamori.
When looking at the emergence rate by city, ward, or county, 10 regions exceeded 10%. Four of these were in Kyoto City, including Higashiyama Ward, which had a standout rate of 19.20%. Additionally, Katsuura City in Chiba Prefecture, famous for its fishing industry and historical morning markets, and Choshi City, a renowned soy sauce production center, ranked highly.
By industry, manufacturing was the most common, accounting for 24.4% of all long-standing companies, followed by retail (22.2%) and wholesale (21.2%), which together make up nearly 70%. While construction and service industries are prevalent among companies as a whole, long-standing companies are concentrated in manufacturing, wholesale, and retail.
In terms of sub-sectors, 'rental office services' topped the list by number with 1,552 companies, often representing businesses that shifted to office management by utilizing long-held real estate, highlighting the strength of stable asset ownership. 'Sake manufacturing' followed with 938 companies, and 'ryokan (inns)' with 795. By emergence rate, sake manufacturing exceeded 90% at 91.9%. Other brewing-related industries, such as soy sauce/amino acid and miso manufacturing, also ranked high, as did firework and industrial explosive manufacturing/wholesaling.
Regarding annual sales, approximately 80% of long-standing companies fall under 1 billion yen, with 41.8% under 100 million yen and 37.2% between 100 million and 1 billion yen. While many are small-scale, the majority have consistently maintained operations over a long period. Conversely, the higher the sales bracket, the higher the emergence rate; while companies with over 100 billion yen in sales account for only 1.0% of the total, 19.4% of all companies in Japan with sales over 100 billion yen are long-standing companies.
In 2025, 142 long-standing companies (with liabilities of 10 million yen or more) went bankrupt, citing failures in price pass-through and governance issues. Bankruptcies among companies with over 30 years of history, including long-standing ones, reached a 10-year high of 3,263, indicating that many companies still face challenges with cash flow.
To continue operations for so long, companies must accurately capture the needs of the times and continue to engage in new endeavors such as product development, the introduction of new technologies, and the opening of new sales channels. Japanese long-standing companies attract global attention, and there is much to be learned from those that have overcome crises like disasters and wars. With approximately 2,000 companies expected to reach their 100th anniversary in 2026, the long-standing company emergence rate is expected to continue to rise.