Nissan Motor Company Founding Day

What Is Nissan Motor Company Founding Day?

December 26th marks the anniversary of the founding of Nissan Motor Co. in Japan. On this date in 1933, "Jidosha Seizo Co., Ltd." was established in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture — the company that would later become Nissan Motor Co.

The Road to Nissan's Founding

Jidosha Seizo Co. was established through investment from Nihon Sangyo Co., Ltd. and Tobata Imono Co., Ltd., with businessman Yoshisuke Aikawa serving as its representative director and president.

• Its roots: Dat Jidosha Seizo, a subsidiary of Tobata Imono, formed the foundation amid a broader reorganization of Japan's automotive industry at the time
• Inheriting a trademark: Tobata Imono took over the Datsun trademark and manufacturing rights, and with investment from Nihon Sangyo, established Jidosha Seizo Co.
• A change of name: on June 1, 1934, the company became wholly owned by Nihon Sangyo and was renamed "Nissan Motor Co., Ltd."

Where the Name "Nissan" Came From

"Nissan" is an abbreviation of "Nihon Sangyo Co., Ltd.," the company's parent investor. The Nihon Sangyo conglomerate led by Yoshisuke Aikawa was a massive corporate group spanning far beyond automobiles, with subsidiaries including Hitachi and companies across a wide range of industries.

Tips for Marking This Day

• Learn about Nissan's history and its founder, Yoshisuke Aikawa
• Learn about Nissan's early models, including the Datsun
• Trace the broader history of how Japan's automotive industry developed
• Visit a Nissan museum or heritage center, if one is near you

An Automotive Lineage That Began With One Holding Company's Investment

Nissan's history didn't begin as a standalone automaker — it started as one business within a much larger corporate group. Let December 26th be a day to discover the surprising origin story of a company that has since grown into a global automotive maker.