History of Okaya and around the world
Over the centuries, we have always supported the market through tradition and innovation. We will continue shaping the present and passing on trust and confidence to the next generation.
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- 1600 British East India Company was established
- 1642 English Civil War
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- 1669
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- Okaya’s first-generation owner, Sosuke-Muneharu Okaya, started the business as “Sasaya”
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- 1760 Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain
- 1775 American Revolutionary War
- 1789 French Revolution
- 1853 Commodore Perry of the US Navy sailed into Tokyo harbor for trading
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- 1862
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- Opened Osaka Office
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- 1868 Spanish Revolution
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- 1872
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- Opened Tokyo Office
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- 1876 Graham Bell invented the telephone
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- 1888
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- Started the import business of “western steel”
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- 1914 World War I
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- 1917
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- Established “Sinsho Gakusha”, a Non-Profit Organization, to provide tuition and accommodation fee to Japanese students
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- 1918 The end of World War I
- 1929 The Great Depression
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- 1937
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- Changed the corporate name to “Okaya Shoten & Co., Ltd.”
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- 1939 World War II
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- 1943
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- Changed the corporate name to “Okaya & Co., Ltd.”
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- 1945 The end of World War II
- 1951 Peace Treaty of San Francisco
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- 1964
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- Established Okaya USA, Inc. in New York, New York
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- 1973 Oil Crisis
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- 1973
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- Relocated HQ office to World Trade Center, New York, New York
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- 1973
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- Established Okaya Europe GmbH in Germany
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- 1974
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- Established Siam Suriya Co., Ltd. in Thailand
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- 1975 End of the Vietnam War
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- 1982
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- Established Okaya Singapore PTE. Ltd. In Singapore
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- 1983
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- Established Okaya International (H.K.) Ltd. In Hong Kong
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- 1985 Plaza Accord
- 1990 German Reunification
- 1991 Dissolution of the Soviet Union
- 1993 European Union founded
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- 1997
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- Launched the initial public offering in the Nagoya Stock Exchange
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- 1999 Birth of the Euro currency
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- 2000
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- Certified ISO 14001 (Environmental Management)
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- 2004
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- Certified ISO 9001 (Quality Management)
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- 2008 Financial Crisis — Bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers
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- 2010
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- Relocated Headquarters to Arlington Heights, Illinois
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- 2014
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- Celebrated Okaya USA’s 50th anniversary
Our Parent Company
Okaya USA, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Okaya & Co., Ltd. Founded in 1669, Okaya & Co., Ltd., originally “Sasaya,” is one of the longest established and publicly-held companies in Japan. The Company engages in the global sourcing services for multi-national manufacturers via the global network of the Okaya Group including Okaya USA, Inc. Okaya & Co., Ltd. reported revenues of approximately $8 billion and has nearly 5,000 employees at branches worldwide. For more information about Okaya & Co., Ltd. and its operations, please visit www.okaya.co.jp.
