Our History

Japan's oldest paper company“Papermaking Company”established by Eiichi Shibusawa was keenly aware of the need to develop Japan's paper industry during his visit to Europe in 1867. In 1872, he founded “Production Paper Business is a business that should apply western studies, and the immediate profit is small and sufficient financial resources are required. I want you to start paper industry for the sake of the country and society.”and“Papermaking Company”for the purpose of paper manufacturing, recommending to Mitsui Gumi and other financiers. The capital was 150,000 yen (estimated at the current value, hundreds of millions to billions of yen), and Mitsui Gumi became the center of investment.

Oji Mill started operation imported the largest 78-inch wide mesh paper machine in Japan from the United Kingdom at that time, and invited foreign engineers Cheesman and Bottomley. In 1874, the construction of a mill began in Oji Village, Tokyo Prefecture. At the beginning of the operation of the following year, it struggled with continuous paper scraps, and the loss swelled to one-third of the capital, but with the efforts of Shibusawa's nephew, Heizaburo Okawa, and others gradually improved, and the opening ceremony was held on December 16 of the same year.

Heizaburo Okawa studied in the United States, Okawa studied in Europe and the United States to research new paper raw materials, and learned technological innovations such as rice straw pulp and wood pulp manufacturing methods.

Started manufacturing paper from wood pulp for the first papertime in Japan at the Keda Mill in the Tenryu River Basin in Shizuoka Prefecture, we started manufacturing pulp sulfite (SP) made from wood. Establishing quality and cost not inferior to foreign products, mill site has moved from urban areas to mountainous areas rich in water resources and wood.

Expanded into Hokkaido, built a newspaper mill in Tomakomai, and in response to flood damage and deficit settlements, built a large newspaper mill in Tomakomai, Hokkaido (started operation in 1910). However, the management deteriorated due to the post-war recession, and Fujiwara Ginjiro of Mitsui & Co. became the managing director in 1911 to rebuild. We have promoted rationalization and human resource promotion.

World War I from 1914 (Taisho 3) and the post-war paper industry small and medium-sized paper companies were proliferated in the war economy, but it became difficult to exist due to the post-war depression. Oji Paper expanded its business by absorbing and merging with these, and became an oligopoly along with Fuji Paper and Kabata Industries.

Due to the dissolution of the zaibatsu, Jujo Paper Co., Ltd.(the Company),Tomakomai Paper Co., Ltd., and Honshu Paper Co., Ltd. were divided into three companies according to the Postwar Excessive Economic Power Concentration Elimination Law, Former Oji Paper Co., Ltd. was dismantled and divided into three parts. Tomakomai Paper Co., Ltd.(later Oji HD), Jujo Paper Co., Ltd.(the Company), and Honshu Paper Co., Ltd.established as Jujo Paper Co., Ltd.took over 7 mill and Oji Paper research laboratory, and under the first president, Saiji, he worked hard to promote democratic management and increase production. In 1952, it became the industry's No. 1 production volume.

Integration of Jujo Paper Co., Ltd.and Sanyo-Kokusaku Pulp Co., Ltd, establishment of Nippon Paper Industries in order to improve the profit structure during the recession, Jujo Paper Co., Ltd., which ranks third in the industry, and Sanyo-Kokusaku Pulp Co., Ltd, which ranks fifth, merged, the industry's largest“Nippon Paper Industries” with sales of about 700 billion yen was born. The symbol “Dynawave”was also established.

Business integration and merger of three companies in 2001, we merged with Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and moved to a holding company system. In 2003, Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.,Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co., Ltd., and Nippon Paper Co-Sales merged to form“New Nippon Paper Industries”. It has become a top company in the paper industry with a production capacity of 6 million tonne and sales of 650 billion yen.

Nippon Paper Industries was established as a business holding company in order to overcome the severe business environment, it was converted into a flat organization as a business holding company. We aimed to enhance the sense of unity of the Group and create new growth potential.