Imagine you are tired of the big city and fancy a day or two on the quieter, Japan Sea side of the main island of Honshu. You board a comfortable long-distance bus at Osaka's Umeda Bus Terminal, and once clear of heavy traffic you are whisked away on a westbound expressway. During the first short rest stop you barely notice the name 'X' on the side of the bus. During the second, it already seems strangely familiar. If you had started your journey in Tokyo, Okayama, Hiroshima or Fukuoka, the impression left would have been much the same.
Some four hours out of Osaka your bus pulls up in front of the train station of a provincial town just minutes away from the Japan Sea coast. At one end of the station forecourt you spot the most prestigious place to shop, its name instantly recognizable as 'X' Department Store. Everyone knows it; it was built by 'X' Construction. People hurry in and hurry out, leaving the impression they shop there all the time. That special 'X' wrapping paper is on every gift they send, and they would expect no less for themselves. The less affluent might go there for the occasional paper carrier bag with the posh 'X' logo to use when shopping elsewhere.
If you are keen to get settled into your lakeside hotel, there are two main options: a local bus from 'X' Bus, or a cab from 'X' Taxi. With baggage to haul around, you will probably go for the cab.
By two o'clock you are feeling very much at home in your comfortable room at Hotel 'X'. At four o'clock you are due at the town's main conference center for an informal business meeting in its first-floor restaurant. This, too, is run by Hotel 'X'.
Come evening, it's back to your hotel for dinner and a good night's sleep, but not before watching a local TV channel operated by 'Y', which you have absolutely no idea has close ties to 'X'.
Rise and shine next morning to room-service breakfast and a complimentary copy of the local newspaper published by 'X' affiliate 'Y'. In today's edition there is word of another art exhibit at the 'X' Department Store, while the sports page features participants in last weekend's annual 'X' Marathon. 'X' has become as natural a phenomenon as the changing tides or the rising and setting of the sun.
After a quick glance at the Hotel 'X' Wedding Chapel next door, you head back into town. On the way there your 'X' taxi driver points out the prefectural office building, another proud creation of 'X' Construction. He goes on to tell you that his own house was built by 'X' Housing Design & Construction Company, was fully equipped by 'X' Building Materials and Electricals, and finally sold to him by 'X' Real Estate. He later lets on that a smaller, rival taxi firm is also controlled by 'X'.
Before lunch you are planning a trip to a nearby Buddhist temple. You are amazed to discover that this temple also bears the name of 'X'. These guys have even considered your spiritual well-being. To get to the temple you will need to take the private railway run by — you've guessed it — the 'X' Railway Company. Outside the 'X' Temple you make conversation with an off-duty driving instructor who tells you he works for the 'X' Driving School and always has his car serviced at 'X' Auto Repairs & Maintenance.
Returning to the main regional town with a stomach now rumbling, you pick up some Kentucky Fried Chicken sold to you by 'Y', the local franchise holder. In mid-afternoon you are out and about again when something uncharacteristically colorful catches your eye. You feel yourself drawn into a dealership for luxury cars from the U.S., Germany and Sweden. Although this business is operating under a worryingly unfamiliar name, the salesman is quick to reassure you that 'X' is the sole local franchise holder for all imports of Mercedes Benz, Opel, SAAB, Cadillac, Chevrolet and Corvette.
Before heading back to your hotel, you drop in at 'X' Travel to buy a plane ticket home. So, early next morning you find yourself aboard an 'X' Airport Limousine bus on your way to the local airport, whose new terminal building also turns out to be the work of 'X' Construction. Upon arrival you make a beeline for the check-in counter when you suddenly realize you have forgotten to buy anything for family and friends. Not to worry, there's just enough time to pick up that extra little something from the airport souvenir shop, an outlet of the 'X' Department Store.
After take-off, you finally have time to reflect. Was all this for real? I mean, how could one single enterprise so dominate a local community and yet gain such unquestioning acceptance? Keiretsu 'X' had a finger in every lucrative pie, and this economic clout presumably allowed it to wield much political influence. In most developed democracies the natural watchdog of an independent press, with a tradition of investigative journalism and lively reader response, generally sets alarm bells ringing over possible conflicts of interest. In Japan, this watchdog is still very much a puppy on a rather short leash.
With moments to go before landing back in Osaka, you glimpse a headline in another passenger's copy of the 'X'-affiliated newspaper. Voices from another planet are calling for the break-up of Google.
Author's note: In most main regional centers across Japan you are more likely than not to come across a local Keiretsu 'X'. Commercial life in the larger cities is dominated by many more such powerful corporate groupings. These often own and operate private railways, and accommodate their department stores and other businesses on the prime land they hold in and around the main stations. To appreciate the impact this has had on smaller retailers and the overall landscape of Tokyo, go to Bill Stonehill's article Mountains and Deserts.
