The Japan Business Federation (日本経済団体連合会, Nippon Keizai-dantai Rengōkai) is an economic organization founded in May 2002 by amalgamation of Keidanren (経済団体連合会, Japan Federation of Economic Organizations, established 1946; name sometimes used alone as abbreviation for whole organization) and Nikkeiren (日本経営者団体連盟, Japan Federation of Employers' Associations, established 1948), with Nikkeiren being absorbed into Keidanren.[1][2]
 | |
 Keidanren Kaikan, the head office of Japan Business Federation | |
| Formation | May 2002 |
|---|---|
| Type | Economic organization |
| Legal status | Organization |
| Purpose | Promote the development of the Japanese economy |
| Headquarters | Tokyo |
| Coordinates | 35°41′19.2″N 139°45′48.6″E / 35.688667°N 139.763500°E |
Region served | Japan |
Official language | Japanese |
Chairman | Yoshinobu Tsutsui |
| Website | www |
Formerly called | Keidanren, Japan Federation of Employers' Associations |
The federation is commonly referred to as "Keidanren". Its 1,601 members consist of 1,281 companies, 129 industrial associations, and 47 regional economic organizations (as of June 15, 2010).[3]
For most of the post-war period, Keidanren has been the voice of big business in Japan and is generally considered the most conservative of the country's three major private sector business associations. The other two organizations are the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (日本商工会議所) and the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (経済同友会).
According to the organization's official website, the mission of the Keidanren is to accelerate growth of Japan's and the world's economy, and to strengthen the corporations to create additional value to transform the Japanese economy into one that is sustainable and driven by the private sector by encouraging the ideas of individuals and local communities.
The current chairman is Yoshinobu Tsutsui of Nippon Life. He has been chairman since May 2025.
Views
editView on consumption tax
editViews on nuclear power
editAfter the March 11 nuclear disaster and subsequent shutdown of all the nuclear plants in Japan, Keidanren called for their restart.[5] This view was not shared by all business leaders, with Rakuten president Hiroshi Mikitani leaving the federation partly over this issue. Masayoshi Son of Softbank publicly objected to the focus on restarting the nuclear plants, but didn't leave the federation over it.[6]
Political donations for the LDP
editThe Keidanren regularly conducts political donations to the dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) pledged to ban corporate and organizational political donations during the 2009 general election to address public concerns over legislative influence. Following their victory, Keidanren initially suspended its donation programs.[7][8] However, the DPJ failed to codify a total ban due to internal funding scandals and the continued use of legal loopholes. While direct giving to individuals was prohibited, organizations utilized political party branches to route funds to lawmakers.
The failure to enact these reforms, coupled with the government's response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, caused a significant decline in public support. In the 2012 general election, the DPJ suffered a massive defeat, losing over three-quarters of its seats. The LDP subsequently returned to power and maintained the existing donation system. Despite 2024 legislative updates that lowered disclosure thresholds for fundraising events, corporate contributions remain legal in Japanese politics.[9]
Changes to board composition
editIn 2002, when Keidanren took on its current form, two-thirds of its 18 vice-chairmen were from manufacturing companies. As of July 2012, only 8 of the 18 are filled by executives of manufacturers.[8]
Current board
edit
Chairman and vice-chairmen as of 2 July 2025.[10]
Past officeholders
edit| Order | Past president | Affiliation | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hiroshi Okuda | Toyota | May 2002 – May 2006 |
| 2 | Mitarai Fujio | Canon | May 2006 – May 2010 |
| 3 | Hiromasa Yonekura | Sumitomo Chemical | May 2010 – May 2014 |
| 4 | Sadayuki Sakakibara[11] | Toray Industries | June 2014 – May 2018 |
| 5 | Hiroaki Nakanishi | Hitachi | May 2018 – June 2021 |
| 6 | Masakazu Tokura[12] | Sumitomo Chemical | June 2021–May 2025 |
| 7 | Yoshinobu Tsutsui | Nippon Life | May 2025–present |
|
|
See also
edit- Chamber of commerce
- List of employer associations
- Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe (UNICE), a similar European business association
References
edit- ↑ Japan Times Keidanren-Nikkeiren tieup scheduled for May 2002 start December 21 2000 Retrieved on July 22, 2012[dead link]
- ↑ "Keidanren". WBCSD. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ↑ "About Nippon Keidanren". Japan Business Federation. Archived from the original on April 30, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
- ↑ Keidanren urges gov't to raise consumption tax to 10% or higher+ Retrieved on July 20, 2012
- ↑ "Keidanren chief renews call for restart of nuclear plants". Kyodo News. April 23, 2012. Archived from the original on April 23, 2012.
- ↑ "Softbank's Son denounces Keidanren's energy proposal". The Asahi Shimbun. November 16, 2011. Archived from the original on November 16, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ↑ Asahi Shimbun EDITORIAL: Political donations 2010/03/01 Retrieved on July 20, 2012
- 1 2 Nikkei Weekly Business lobbies in state of flux June 16, 2012, page 28
- ↑ French, Alice (June 19, 2024). "Japan passes amended political funds law: 4 things to know". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
- ↑ Nippon Keidanren website "About Keidanren, Officers of KEIDANREN". Retrieved March 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Chairman Sakakibara's Statements and Comments". keidanren.or.jp. Keidanren. May 21, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
- ↑ "Japan's biggest business lobby gets new chief, first female vice chair". The Japan Times. The Japan Times. June 2, 2021. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
External links
edit- Daimon, Sayuri (June 16, 2009). "The all-powerful voice of corporate Japan". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on January 8, 2019.
- https://www.keidanren.or.jp/en/
- http://www.keidanren-usa.org/ Archived December 5, 2006, at the Wayback Machine