About CHATANI

Early 20th century, social movement for politics for the people came to bear on the Japanese Government, together with other turbulent events of the time including the First World War, and the rise of the military. This turbulent period of history gave rise to modern Japan, and it was during this time that Takeo Chatani, the founder of our company, was born into a family of Omi merchants. In April 1919 he founded the company of “Chatani Takeo Shoten” in the Minami Ward of Osaka City, and commenced the export of artificial flowers and artificial pearls.

Takeo Chatani followed the business of exporting Japanese products to the world under the banner of “contributing to world peace through trade” and with the motto of “honesty and trust” which was based on the philosophy of the Omi merchants of old, which stressed patience, diligence, and honesty. In the 1930s, offices were established in various places throughout the world, such as New York, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Shanghai, Seoul, Shenyang and Jinan.

After this, the company was obliged to suspend its business during World War II, but its export business was resumed as soon as possible after the war, and the scope of the company’s business expanded to include products ranging from miscellaneous goods to machinery and industrial materials, laying the foundation of the comprehensive trading company that T.Chatani & Co., LtdLtd. is today. In 1964 the company was one of only a few companies in Japan to be designated a “Japan-China Trade Friendship Trading Company”, and received the 1st Japan Prime Minister Award for its contribution to the promotion of exports.

Membership of OG Group

In December 2007, the company was split and the new “T. Chatani & Co., Ltd.” was established, and in October 2009 it became part of the OG Group led by OG Corporation, a trading company which specializes in chemical products. With the strong backing of OG Corporation, in 2019 we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the foundation of T. Chatani & Co, Ltd. and the 10th anniversary of our participation in the OG Group. A grand commemorative ceremony and party were held in Okinawa to celebrate these two events.

As the world has changed greatly in modern times, our business has also changed considerably from the times when the company was established. We are also now exporting industrial machinery and vehicles to countries in the Middle East and Africa, importing construction materials from Europe, and manufacturing electronic components in China. T. Chatani & Co., Ltd. has inherited the management philosophy of its founder, and aims to build a network of “honesty and trust” among the people of Japan and the rest of the world through a spirit of “coexistence and co-prosperity” where people can work hand in hand to prosper together.

Management Philosophy

Opportunities of time vouchsafed by Heaven are not equal to advantages of situation afforded by the Earth, and advantages of situation afforded by the Earth are not equal to the union arising from the accord of Men.

In his book “Gongsun Chou, Part One”, the Chinese philosopher Mencius teaches that the three factors for a successful strategy are “chance given by Providence(Heaven)”, “advantage of location(Earth)” and “harmony of the people(People)”, and that of these, “harmony of the people” is the most important.

“Those who find the way will receive much assistance, and giving assistance is what moves the world.”

In other words, if we do things morally and with compassion, we will be able to obtain the cooperation of people naturally. Even today we hold these founding principles of “Heaven, Earth and People(heaven and earth and man)” to be of primary importance as a guide for corporate management.

Nowadays, we may add two more keywords “Technique” and “Newness” to “Heaven, Earth and People” to make “Heaven, Earth, People, Technique and Newness”. Each of these words can be given its own interpretation in accordance with the times to provide a management philosophy that changes and adapts to an era of rapid change.

The meaning of “Heaven, Earth and People”

Heaven means “Understanding other people, knowing the needs of the world, and acting without missing an opportunity”.

Earth means “knowing yourself, and judging the situation and the environment appropriately and acting accordingly.”

The most important principle is “People”, and this means to “always refine yourself and act with compassion so that you are loved and trusted by others”.

And then,

The meaning of “Technique” and “Newness”

Technique means “Always pursuing technology and establishing Chatani as a byword for technology”.

Newness is “Never being afraid of failure and always having the heart to continue meeting new challenges”.

We embody in these five words the desire to continue as a business enterprise which values the harmony between people, while taking on new challenges without fear of change.