Nissan Group (日産コンツェルン), formerly Nissan zaibatsu, was a group of companies and Japan's most powerful business groupings.
Founded in 1928 by Yoshisuke Aikawa, the group was originally a holding company created as an offshoot of Kuhara Mining Co. (became Nippon Mining & Metals Company; currently part of Eneos Holdings), which Aikawa had taken over as president from his brother-in-law, Fusanosuke Kuhara. After the bankruptcy of the Kuhara zaibatsu following World War I, Aikawa reorganized its assets into Japan Industries or Nihon Sangyo Corporation (日本産業株式会社), Nissan for short.[1]
The group's core business was real estate and insurance, with hundreds of member companies, including fisheries, mining companies, and was affiliated with Hitachi, as well as what Nissan is now known for—its automobile business. After World War II, the zaibatsu was disbanded and reformed into Nissan Motor Co.