Zentarō Kuroda founded KOKUYO in 1905 at age 26. The business started as a shop in Ōsaka, selling book covers for ‘wachō’ (traditional Japanese accounting books) and in 1914 began manufacturing paper products. By the time of its 50-year anniversary in 1954, KOKUYO had become a leading company in the paper products industry in Japan. In 1960, the company launched its first steel product, a filing cabinet, followed by steel desks in 1965, and other products such as home cabinets and office swivel chairs the following year. At the start of the 70s, with a total of more than 3,000 items, KOKUYO products were divided into four major categories: paper products, stationery, furniture, and office equipment. In 1979, with its extensive product portfolio, KOKUYO achieved a sales figure of 100 billion Yen, followed by 200 billion in 1988 and 300 billion in 1991. The company set up a joint venture in Thailand in 1996 and now also has business operations in China, India and Vietnam. From humble beginnings, KOKUYO has journeyed and grown to become a billion dollar business today.
The name KOKUYO was originally written with two Chinese characters: “国” (koku), meaning “country”, and “誉” (yo) meaning, “pride”. With its unchanged vision of being the “honor of Japan”, KOKUYO is expanding its business and progressing to become the “honor of Asia” using know-how acquired over more than 100 years of business continuity.
KOKUYO - HISTORY OF CREATIVITY
The name KOKUYO was originally written with two Chinese characters: “国” (koku), meaning “country”, and “誉” (yo) meaning, “pride”. With its unchanged vision of being the “honor of Japan”, KOKUYO is expanding its business and progressing to become the “honor of Asia” using know-how acquired over more than 100 years of business continuity.