Last week there was a big to-do in the financial press over General Electric’s plan to split itself into three companies. In the US, GE stands out for its longevity. It’s been on top it was founded in 1892.  But judged by Japanese standards, GE is normal. The Fortune list of the biggest Japanese companies ranked by revenue is a list of geriatric businesses. It has AEON, founded in 1758, Hitachi from 1910, Mitsubishi from 1870, Itochu from 1858, Nintendo from 1889, Mitsui from 1878, Sumitomo from 1615 (!), Marubeni from 1918. I could go on. One of the many quirks of…

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