You must have heard about Zaibatsu? To so many people it looks like I just mentioned a new English world or vocabulary that needs to be checked on the internet. Well, Google could do the trick. You might have heard about the “Big Four” I mean Sumitomo, Mitsui, Mitsubishi, and Yasuda. The Japanese companies that had significant control over a large of the Japanese economy. These conglomerates had built empires that their power and influence among citizens made them powerful than the government in some economic aspect and this companies used it to their advantages. I am sure you have an idea of what a Zaibatsu mean now.
Can Zaibatsu still exist in any country?
Literally, it was said that the Meiji restoration and the industrial revolution brought an end to Zaibatsu in Japan but can we say there will be nothing like Zaibatsu anymore or are we saying that it can never exist again.
Forbes always bring a list of the most influential people in the world and the technology has made information easier to disseminate with the use of social media. Is it possible that some of this most powerful and influential people who have the finance, resources and backings still control a lot of countries. Do you think that CEOs and Chairpersons of corporations, Mob heads, Billionaires, past political figures still control the activity of the regular Joe who is an average person? Yes they do, they do affect our economy and in most cases control it indirectly with their influences.
Permit me but I might have to list a few corporations and families that might not be any stronger than the government but at the same time are not any less powerful than the government they are Walmart, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Apple, Glencore, Samsung Electronics, Amazon, Microsoft, Vodafone, Nestle, McDonalds, Huawei Technologies, Alibaba, Twitter, and Emirate. This conglomerate affect different sectors of the economy worldwide and in a more simplified way, I could say they aren’t stronger than the government but they are the government as they have a say in so many actions that takes place in countries aren’t new to them.
I can say we have a disguised Zaibatsu in the world currently but this time around, they aren’t proven to be stronger than the government rather they are able to influence the workings of the government. They start with the itty bitty of governance to the major aspect of it without overthrowing the government.
Do you think there are modernize ways of Zaibatsu in the world now? You could leave your thoughts, suggestions and facts in the comment section. Till next time.