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Comment by nolok | Hacker News Reader

As a rule of thumb Asian giants tend to deal in everything. Especially true for Japanese giants (which is weird, since for Japanese companies it's also common to find small giants that deal in one thing only and never integrate). Especially especially true for Korean giants.

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This is called a zaibatsu in Japan and a chaebol in South Korea. The Korean ones in particular are simultaneously fascinating and disturbing due to their interwovenness with the state.

>This is called a zaibatsu in Japan and a chaebol in South Korea. The Korean ones in particular are simultaneously fascinating and disturbing due to their interwovenness with the state.

The zaibatsu were similarly interwoven with the Japanese state through WW2, when the connections were cut during the US occupation. While Sony, Toyota, Mitsubishi, et al. are very large companies and have the corresponding influence any such large company would have in any developed country, there is no comparison with the dominance of Samsung, Hyundai, and LG of the Korean economy and politics.

is there no comparison though? atleast until the last late 20th century, many european countries had companies which where basically state sponsored enterprises in certain regards. (Phillips, Volkswagen, Airbus etc).

No comparison. Take Mitsubishi. I'm not sure what most people think of when they think of Mitsubishi (probably econobox cars?). However, if you look at the entire scope of the Mitsubishi Group, you get a different idea...

Mitsubishi UFJ is Japan's largest bank and the world's second largest bank holding company with ~$2tn of deposits.

Mitsubishi Corp is Japan's largest general trading company, and includes active business lines covering business services, consultancy, infrastructure (airports, railways), asset management and finance, energy trading, primary extraction of metals and minerals, heavy machinery, defense contracts, ships, chemical manufacturing and trading, as well as retail.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries separately manufacturers airplanes, air-to-air missiles, helicopters, aerospace turbine engines, main battle tanks, nuclear power plants, gas turbines generators, LNG carrying ships, cruise liners, space craft, wind turbines and desalination equipment.

MHI's subsidiaries also include Mitsubishi Chemical (which is Japan's largest chemicals company), Nikon Corporation (cameras, optics etc), and Mitsubishi Motors.

This is nothing like Philips/Airbus etc.

There's no real equivalent in Europe. Even the largest companies are only really affluent at a local level.

Agreed. Hitachi makes a rather famous "muscle relaxer" called the Magic Wand.

From magic wands to self-propelled mortars, Hitachi manufactures pretty much anything that has enough market demand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitachi#Products_and_services

Can't wait for my Makita rugged SSD

You joke, but they have Makita branded UBB drives lol

once again the market beat me

I thought I'd read something about them ceasing production due to the odd brand association, but upon further research it appears that they're still making it, but without Hitachi markings, and distributing through a company called Vibratex.

Came to post this. Pun intended. But honestly it's good for both uses can confirm. Though the new Theragun style tools are a step up for sports therapy.

Huh... really adds deeper meaning to the motto "If you build it, they will come".

Love to play my Yamaha trombone on my Yamaha motorcycle

In the same vein, there's Shimano who is the biggest brand in biking tech and one of the top five company for fishing equipment.

Well, spinning discs put to various uses?

Yamaha also makes routers for SMBs that has top shares in Japan. It's loved because it's very stable and they provide firmware and support info without contract.

The Magic Wand is great to relieve the pain when the RSI in my shoulder flares up!

Replace your table with something ergonomic.

Ergonomic table with tray, Sculpt keyboard, trackball.

It all does wonders, but it’s not always enough.

It's funny because even as obvious as it is .. it's easy to forget. I mean a lot of people know Yamaha produces motorbikes AND pianos AND hifi devices, yet it doesn't feel like a giant.

memories of my beloved Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 21" CRT

These are called keiretsu, formerly known as zaibatsu, popularized in the West via Neuromancer.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiretsu

> Especially especially true for Korean giants.

As supporting evidence... about 10 years ago I was staying at a hostel in Seoul, I went to buy a bar of soap at a convenience shop. I realized as I was getting ready to shower that the soap itself was made by LG!

Probably completely banal for Koreans but to me it was equivalent to Tesla manufacturing basketball shoes, completely left field.

In addition, you can also live in Samsung and LG apartments in Korea, while driving Samsung cars insured by Samsung insurance, getting your health care at Samsung hospitals, going to Samsung Everland amusement park, seeing art exhibits at various Samsung art museums, staying at Shilla Hotels when you travel, wear clothes from Samsung's original or partly owned brands such as FUBU and Beanpole... You get the picture.

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