1.
zaibatsu, financial conglomerate, industrial-financial combine
A large family-controlled industrial and financial conglomerate, particularly those that dominated the Japanese economy from the Meiji era through World War II. The major zaibatsu (Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Sumitomo, Yasuda) were formally dissolved after WWII but their successor companies remain influential.
Usage
The term 財閥 is used as a loanword in English ("zaibatsu"). In modern Japanese, it sometimes appears in drama and fiction to describe wealthy, powerful families. The 四大財閥 (four great zaibatsu) were 三菱, 三井, 住友, and 安田.
Common collocations
- 財閥解体: dissolution of zaibatsu
- 四大財閥: the four great zaibatsu
- 財閥系: zaibatsu-affiliated
- 財閥企業: zaibatsu company
- 新興財閥: newly-risen conglomerate
Similar words
In modern usage, 企業グループ (corporate group) or 系列 (keiretsu) describes the successor structures. In Korean context, チェボル (財閥, chaebol) uses the same kanji and refers to similar family-controlled conglomerates.