Berkshire bought all five Japanese trading houses, funded with cheap yen debt, and reframed global views of corporate Japan.
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Trading Houses & Finance
Expert guides, analysis and tool comparisons on Trading Houses & Finance from the kurums.com Startup desk — written for business decision-makers and updated as the market moves.
- 5 guides
- Updated Jul 25, 2026
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Nomura: The Bold Bet on Lehman Brothers
Nomura bought Lehman’s Asian and European arms days after the collapse, then wrestled with the culture clash.
MUFG: The Japanese Bank That Helped Rescue Wall Street
MUFG became Japan’s largest bank and invested $9 billion in Morgan Stanley at the crisis peak.
Itochu: The Trading House That Bet Against Resources
Itochu became Japan’s standout trading house by deliberately avoiding the resource businesses its rivals dominated.
The Sogo Shosha: Japan’s Unique Trading House Model
The sogo shosha combines trader, investor and financier in a model no other country replicated.