BookTitleToyota Tsusho 70-Year History

Summary

Toyota Tsusho 70-Year History

Section 3The Struggle toBecome a Value-GeneratingCorporation 2000?2018In the early 2000s, Japan’s economy was underpinned by robust exports as the country entered amoderate economic recovery phase known as the economic expansion without any felt benefit.However, the bankruptcy of the Lehman Brothers investment bank in 2008 was a game changer, andJapan fell into a once-in-a-century depression.Since then, Japan has shown that its economy can bounce back, but the country’s economy has beenhit many times by crises, including the Great East Japan Earthquake, flooding in Thailand, and Europe’sfirst financial crisis, that have left its financial situation reeling. Despite these challenges, Toyota Tsushomerged with Kasho Co., Ltd., and with Tomen Corp. and acquired the French company CFAO S.A. toexpand its business in Africa.Throughout its activities, Toyota Tsusho has pursued a balanced portfolio of automotive andnonautomotive businesses and implemented the TRY1 initiative in nonautomotive fields to achievea balance between Mobility, Earth and Resources, and Life and Community. This was taken one stepfurther in May 2016 when Toyota Tsusho unveiled its global vision for the next 10 years. We will lookin the pages that follow at the challenges Toyota Tsusho has faced in making that global vision a realityand in becoming a value-generating corporation.History117