I take on requests for paintings to mark a company's anniversary. Whenever I think about it, I feel the weight of having continued for decades. When I looked into it, I found that the long life of Japanese companies is truly rare by world standards.
145,159 companies in Japan reach a milestone in 2026
According to Teikoku Databank's nationwide survey of anniversary companies (2026), 145,159 companies in Japan mark a ten-year milestone since their founding in 2026 (as of November 2025).
- 20th anniversary: 26,663 (the largest group)
- 50th anniversary: 17,939
- 100th anniversary: 2,371
457 listed companies also celebrate an anniversary this year. Among the 100-year companies are well-known names such as Toyota Industries, Toray, Shueisha and Fujikyu. Milestone years come around every ten years, for large and small companies alike.
46,708 companies have been in business for over 100 years
Teikoku Databank's analysis of long-established companies (2025) found 46,708 companies that were at least 100 years old as of December 2025. That is 3.11% of all companies, the first time the share has passed 3%. A year earlier (September 2024) it was 45,284 companies, or 2.75%.
Some have lasted far longer.
- 200 years or more: 1,836
- 300 years or more: 905
- 500 years or more: 47
- 1,000 years or more: 11
The oldest is Kongo Gumi in Osaka, founded in 578. It is said to have begun with a temple carpenter invited by Prince Shotoku to build Shitennoji Temple, and it has been building temples and shrines for more than 1,400 years.
About 40% of the world's 100-year companies are Japanese
In the World Longevity Company Ranking by Nikkei BP Consulting's Anniversary Business Lab (published 2020), Japan ranked first in the world for the number of companies over 100 years old.
- 100 years or more: 33,076 companies in Japan, 41.3% of the world total (the US, in second place: 24.4%)
- 200 years or more: 1,340 companies in Japan, 65% of the world total (the US: 11.6%)
In other words, two out of every three 200-year-old companies in the world are Japanese. (This ranking is based on a 2019 survey of Teikoku Databank and an international company database. Its timing and counting method differ from the survey above, so the numbers are not the same.)
Yamagata is among the prefectures with the most long-established companies
By prefecture, Kyoto has the highest share of companies over 100 years old (5.45%), followed by Yamagata, where I live, and Niigata. All three are above 5%. By industry, 91.9% of sake brewers have been in business for over 100 years.
Walking through towns in Yamagata, I often come across the signs of shops handed down for generations: sake breweries, inns, confectioners. Behind each of those signs, I think, are a family and the people who have worked there over a long time.
Making the years you have continued visible
Ten, fifty, a hundred years. As a number it is just one line, but within it are the founder's wishes and the people who carried them on. Looking at Teikoku Databank's figures, it is clear that in Japan such companies are not rare exceptions. They are everywhere in our towns.
As a Japanese artist, I also paint commissioned works for company anniversaries, putting into one painting what that company has cherished. A ceremony or commemorative gift ends within the year, but a painting stays on the wall of the reception area or the president's office for the next ten years, seen by someone every day. You can read more on the page Custom paintings for company anniversaries.
Sources
Teikoku Databank (Nationwide Survey of Anniversary Companies, 2026)
Teikoku Databank (Nationwide Analysis of Long-Established Companies, 2025)
Teikoku Databank (Nationwide Analysis of Long-Established Companies, 2024)
Nikkei BP Consulting, Anniversary Business Lab (World Longevity Company Ranking, 2020)
Gendai Business (article on the history of Kongo Gumi)
