An Analysis of Japanese Corporate Structure, 1915-1937
Author(s)
Frankl, Jennifer L.
Abstract
Corporate groups have been very important in the economies of many developing countries, including prewar Japan, where zaibatsu controlled approximately one-third of the capital stock. Regression analysis of a new firm-level financial data set distinguishes the economic behavior of zaibatsu member firms from independent firms. The only significant difference between old-zaibatsu member firms and independent firms is that some measures of earnings of old zaibatsu were less stable. The earnings of new-zaibatsu firms were higher, faster-growing and less variable than those of independent firms. These results cast doubt on the anecdotal literature about old zaibatsu.
