Zaibatsu
Zaibatsu (財閥) are large, family-controlled industrial and financial conglomerates that dominated Japan's economy from the late 19th century through World War II. The term translates roughly as "financial cliques" or "financial conglomerates." They arose during the Meiji period as Japan industrialized, combining private capital, merchant houses, and banks into integrated enterprises that could coordinate production, financing, and distribution across sectors.
Although not a single corporate structure, zaibatsu were built around a core family leadership and a holding-company
World War II era and Allied occupation led to dissolution reforms. In 1946–1948, authorities dissolved the zaibatsu