Kajima Corporation

Kajima Corporation started in 1840 when Iwakichi Kajima, a carpenter and designer, set up shop in Edo, now Tokyo. The company stayed in the family for generations, growing from a local carpentry business into one of Japan's biggest construction firms. It was formally incorporated on February 22, 1930, as the Kajima Construction Company.

After World War II, Kajima rode Japan's rebuilding boom into civil engineering, building construction, design, and real estate development. In 1949, it established the Kajima Technical Research Institute (KaTRI), the first industry research lab of its kind in the country. KaTRI has since driven innovations in seismic safety and construction technology. The company's DIB-200 proposal, a concept for a 200-story skyscraper, generated buzz for its audacity.

The late 1990s downturn pushed Kajima to diversify into environmental services like waste treatment, water treatment, and soil rehabilitation. Today, it operates in over 20 countries, with subsidiaries across Asia, North America, Europe, and Oceania. Its stock trades on four Japanese exchanges and is a Nikkei 225 component. Kajima Australia alone generated roughly $1.7 billion in revenue in 2025. [edit]