TOP > Company Overview > Brief History of Daitoh Trading

Company Information

Founder and the motto of the company

Kenkichi Nakabe

Born in 1896 in Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture, as a second son of Ikujiro Nakabe (Founder of Taiyo Fishing Co., now Maruha Nchiro Holdings Ltd.).
At 14 years of age, began to assist his father and brother (Ken-ichi) in brokering family business of fresh fish.
Family business developed into “Hayashikane Store,”an had become one of several fishery company in Japan before the Pacific War.
But they lost almost all of their whalers and fishing boats during the war, and after several years from the end of the war, Father Ikujiro died,
his brother Ken-ichi launched to reestablish their company, name changed to Taiyo Fishing Co.
In 1947 just when ordering a lot of fishing vessels were in progress, he was forced off from public jobs on suspicion of a war collaborator,
and was purged by the Occupation Army. He retired from business management of Taiyo Fishing Co. for two years.
During this expulsion years, Kenkichi established Azuma Trading Co.,Ltd. (now Daitoh Trading Co.,Ltd.) as a private company,
and began supplying fuels to vessels of Taiyo Fishing Co. He succeeded Kenichi as president in 1953, and had been president for 24 years until his death in 1977. Kenkichi, “the restorer,” made Taiyo Gyogyo one of the world’s biggest fisheries companies in the world.
As for 200 kairi nautical miles problem, in spite of the fact that they had been expelled from the world’s main fishing area,
Kenkichi launched multiplication of management and globalization.
He himself preferred business to learning, and through his hard experience, he was earnest in education. The Nakabe Family provided money ,
and established “Nakabe Scholarship Foundation,”and presented deeply-connected Senior-High School (such as Akashi Senior High School,
established by Hyougo Prefecture), universities such as Tokyo Suisan University (now Tokyou Marine University),
Nagasaki Uiniversity, and Hokkaido University), with Auditoriums or Sporting Arena, Hokuyo (North Sea) Institute. Also in 1963,
he established School entity Ikutoku-Gakuen and opened Ikutoku Industrial Specialized School (now Kanagawa Industrial College).

【Career】
President of Taiyo Fishing Co.,Ltd., Owner of the Taiyo Whales (now the Yokohama BayStars), Chairman of Dai-Nippon Fishery Association,
Director of Nakabe Scholarship Foundation, Director of Japan Encouragement of Trade Organization (JETRO), Director of National Frozen Food Export
Industry Union. Received the Second Order of Rising Sun, the First Order of Sacred Treasure… from the government, Honorary Citizen of Akashi City.

Brief History of Daitoh Trading

August 1947 Kenkichi Nakabe started business under the title of Azuma Trading Co.,Ltd.
April 1948 Started selling and buying of petroleum products.
April 1949 Moved head office to Marunouchi(4-1 2-chome Marunouchi,Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo,Marunouchi Building)Expanded trading of petroleum products.
April 1953 Obtained fund location and started import of petroleum products.
September 1956 Took over Daitoh Tanks Co.,Ltd., merged with Azuma Trading's Petroleum Department and formed a new subsidiary company under the name of Daitoh Oil Co.,Ltd.
April 1963 Amalgamated Daitoh Oil Co.,Ltd.Tsunehiko Yano as its chief executive officer.
  May Started import and trading of marine paint and shipbuilding materials and equipment.
June 1964 Capital commitment to Kita-Nihon Oil Co.,Ltd. Entrusted Daitoh’s oil sales in Tohoku and Hokkaido regions.
May 1965 Yokohama Oil Tank Terminal completed.
December 1966 Established Daitoh Paint Co. Began production of paint for vessels.
November 1972 Constructed Daitoh Building at Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku. Started running building rental business.
January 1975 Began dealing with cancer insurance.
April 1976 Separated Yokohama Oil Terminal as Daitoh Oil Business Co.,Ltd.
December   Keijiro Nakabe inaugurated as chief executive officer.
February 1977 Established Daitoh Oil Co.,Ltd. in Osaka. Started sales operations of petroleum products.
April 1979 Tsusho Air & Sea service Co. Ld. was established for travel agents with ticketing license I.A.T.A.
    The company's first freezer conainer ship Hiyo-maru (9,760.220DWT)inaugurated.
April 1982 Established Azuma Building Services Co.,Ltd. Began dealing withe building management.
December   The company's second feezer container ship Kinyo-maru (4,963DWT)inaugurated.
April 1987 Keijiro Nakabe inaugurated as sub-president of Taiyo Fishing Co. (in 1989, he inaugurated as CEO).
    Mitsusaburo Komiya inaugurated as CEO.
August   Daimachi-zaka Building completed (later its name changed to Ichigaya-Daitoh Building).
September 1988 Tanker Department established. As well as inauguration of our own tanker Hoyo-maru (59,999 DWT), accepted the operation of 5 vessels (498,112 DWT)in the wake of dissolution of Taiyo Shipping. Began oil transport of crude oil by VLCC. (Tanker division amalgameted with Vessel Department through structural reorganization in June, 1992.)
November   Construction of Kyodo Sekiyu’s oil shipping base completed at the adjoining land of Yokohama Oil Tanker Co.,Ltd. (now JX Holdings Co.,Ltd.) Began its operation.
June 1989 Our own all-stainless tanker “SOUTHERN GARLAND” inaugurated.
September 1992 Joined the operation business of chemical tanker. Inaugurated “Oriental Iris”(9,035 DWT).
October   Received sales rights of Yokohama Oil Terminal from Daitoh Oil Business Co.,Ltd.
June 1993 Head Office was relocated to Daitoh Building, at 3-7-1, Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.
February 1994 Established Fuku-noren Co. to sell Hakata ramen’s multi-business shop chains. (its name later changed to Kohuku, and merged with M.R.S. Co.)
June 2000 Yoshiro Nakabe inaugurated as CEO.
    Made capital commitment to the Netherland’s Serromah Shipping B.V.
December 2001 EMS (Environmental Management System) at Yokohama Oil Terminal is registered under ISO 14001.
June 2002 Hokutoh Oil Co. was made a subsidiary to sell oil products in Hokkaido area.
March 2003 Yokohama Oil Terminal’s sales rights were sold to Daitoh Tank Terminal Co.,Ltd.
September 2006 Took over Maruha Restaurant Systems Co.,Ltd. (later its name changed to MRS) and Nisshin Tanker Co.,Ltd.
June 2007 Head Office was relocated to Asahi Seimei Ootemachi Building at 2-6-1, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.
April 2008 Daitoh Tank Terminal Co.,Ltd. took over Nisshin Terminal Co.,Ltd. (Mutsure Petroleum Dept.) and became a West Japan subsidiary.
August 2010 Logistics business of Yokohama Oil Terminal and Mutsure Oil Terminal was separated from Petroleum Dept. as Logistics Dept.
November   One & Only Co.Ltd. was made a subsidiary company and expanded staff dispatching business.
April 2011 Staff Office established at Singapore.
May   Yokohama Oil Terminal and Mutsure Oil Terminal registered under ISO 0001.Back to top
January 2012 Head Office has been relocated to Ichigaya Daitoh Building, 6-3, Ichigayadaimachi, Shinjuku-ku, 162-0066 Tokyo.
April   Daitoh Tank Terminal Co.,Ltd. established Tokyo Office.
October   Hayashikane Oil Co.,Ltd. succeeded the business activities of Daitoh Oil Co.,Ltd. and established the Osaka Branch Office.
November   New Shipping Co.,Ltd. established their Busan Branch in Korea and began ship management in November.
January 2014 Crowdprosper Co.,Ltd. was made a fully owned subsidiary, expanding the scale of business in the food-service segment.
July   Insurance agency business spun off and newly incorporated as Daitoh Insurance Consulting Co.,Ltd.

Back to TOP