Dai-ichi Shoji

What Dai-ichi Shoji does

Dai-ichi Shoji Co., Ltd. (第一商事株式会社) is a privately held Japanese trading company (shoji) founded in Yokohama on December 12, 1952, originally dealing in silk products before transitioning into electronic and industrial products. The company imports, exports, and distributes more than 10,000 SKUs organized into six product categories: chemical products (industrial adhesives, solvents, resins, silicones), electronic components and instruments (measuring instruments, communication equipment, electronic materials, A/V cables), industrial equipment and tools, environmental and medical equipment, natural energy solutions (wind and solar), and software and training services. It also operates a small branded consumer-audio line under the Etsuro sub-brand (including the award-winning Etsuro Urushi Gold phono cartridge).

The business runs a traditional B2B trading model: revenue is generated through import/export margins, trading fees, and logistics services on quote-based pricing, with no published price lists or tiers. Logistics capabilities include handling dangerous substances and frozen cargo, and the firm executes trilateral trade through its Shanghai and Hong Kong branches in addition to direct Japan exports. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales supported by trade-show presence (NEPCON China, Dalian International Industrial Expo) and online B2B marketplaces such as BtoTree.com.

Dai-ichi Shoji maintains a global subsidiary and branch network spanning Japan (Yokohama HQ, Tokyo, Osaka), China (Shanghai wholly-owned, Shenzhen branch, Dalian joint venture, Hong Kong subsidiary), Vietnam (Hanoi representative office), Germany, Argentina, Mexico (joint venture), Brazil, and Paraguay (channel partners). The company is led by President Etsuro Akiyama and Executive Director Mikihiro Kawai, is privately held with no parent company, no institutional investors, and no public listing, and operates with a stated capital of JPY 43,200,000.

Name

Dai-ichi Shoji

Legal name

第一商事株式会社 DAI-ICHI SHOJI CO., LTD.

Website

https://home.daiichishoji.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dai-ichi Shoji is a privately held Japanese trading company founded in 1952 that imports, exports, and distributes more than 10,000 industrial products — chemicals, electronic components, measuring instruments, equipment, and natural-energy solutions — to manufacturing customers across Asia, Europe, and Latin America via a global subsidiary and branch network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Yokohama

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Trading/Import-Export Operations: Traditional trading company model dealing in industrial products including electronic components, chemicals, measuring instruments, production equipment, and construction materials. Revenue generated through import/export margins, trading fees, and logistics services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Dai-ichi Shoji Co., Ltd. is a Japanese trading company (shoji) that imports and exports industrial products including adhesives, machines, electronic instruments, and security equipment. The company serves industrial customers across Asia, Europe, and Latin America through its global trading network.

Product overview

Dai-ichi Shoji is a Japanese trading company (shoji) established in 1952 that operates as a diversified industrial products distributor and exporter. The company offers more than ten thousand products from both domestic and overseas manufacturers, organized into six main categories: Chemical Products (adhesives, solvents, resins, silicone products), Electronic Components and Instruments (measuring instruments, communication equipment, electronic materials), Industrial Equipment and Tools (machinery, tools, factory equipment), Environmental and Medical Equipment (laboratory instruments, medical equipment), Natural Energy Solutions (wind and solar power), and Software/Training Services. The company represents multiple branded manufacturers including Hios, Hozan, and distributes products like Kapton Tape. They serve global markets through their network spanning Asia, Europe, and Latin America, and participate in trade shows such as NEPCON China to showcase their electronic components and adhesives product lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Etsuro: High-end phono cartridge brand for audio equipment, including the Etsuro Urushi Gold cartridge which won the Super AV Awards Outstanding Overall Performance Award 2020

Products and services

• Industrial Adhesives
• Industrial Machines
• Electronic Instruments
• Security Equipment
• Measuring Instruments

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TECNO ÓPTIMO DE AMÉRICA, S.A. de C.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2015Joint venture established in Mexico in May 2015. Located at Hidalgo No. 18-Piso 4, Col. Santiaguito, Tultitlan, Edo. de Mexico, C.P. 54900.
• Dai-ichi Shoji (Dalian) Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2010Joint venture company established in November 2010 for operations in Dalian, China. Located at No.1003-1, 51Road xianjin Street, Jinzhou District, Dalian City.
• 誠達グループ (Sei-da Group)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDalian-based manufacturing partners including 誠和精密工業 (Seiwa Precision Industries) and 誠菱精密工業 (Seiryo Precision Industries), specializing in precision sheet metal processing, high-precision resin molding, and precision mold processing.
• Meguro Instrumentos Eletrônicos Ltda.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBrazilian partner located at Rua Nilo, 251 – Aclimacao, Sao Paulo – SP – Brasil, CEP 01533-010
• Projec't Tao Japan S.R.L.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParaguay-based partner located at Indio Francisco 3370, Asunción – Paraguay
• Ramana Electronics Private LimitedminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndia partner located at 409 14th Main Road, J P Nagar, 2nd Phase, Bangalore 560078, India
• Hi-Tech Electronic ServicesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndia partner located at D-222, Bonanza Industrial Estate, Ashok Chakravarti Road, Ashok Nagar, Kandivili East, Mumbai- 400101, India
• BtoTree.comminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline B2B world expo platform - global network where suppliers, buyers, and service providers connect. The company promotes their products through this platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hanwa Co., Ltd. Japan-based trading company focused on steel, non-ferrous metals, industrial machinery and electronics, with a comparable footprint in Asia and similar mid-tier positioning relative to the mega-shosha.
• Iwatani Corporation: Japanese trading company specializing in industrial gases, chemicals, and machinery with global operations — overlapping strongly with Dai-ichi's chemicals and industrial equipment trading lines.
• Macnica Holdings: Japanese electronic components distributor with overseas offices in China and other Asian markets — directly comparable to Dai-ichi's electronic components and measuring instruments distribution business.
• Kanematsu Corporation: Mid-sized Japanese sogo shosha with a similar diversified industrial trading portfolio (electronics, chemicals, machinery) and comparable mid-cap scale, making it the closest publicly listed analog for Dai-ichi Shoji.
• OKAYA & Co., Ltd. Mid-sized Japanese trading firm dealing in electronic components, industrial equipment, and chemicals with international branches — closely mirrors Dai-ichi's product portfolio and trading-style operations.

Broad incumbents

• Mitsui & Co., Ltd. One of Japan's largest sogo shosha with global trading operations across chemicals, machinery, and electronics — a broader incumbent benchmark against which Dai-ichi competes for industrial B2B customers.
• Sojitz Corporation: Diversified Japanese trading conglomerate active in chemicals, machinery, and emerging markets including Latin America — directly relevant to Dai-ichi's product mix and regional footprint but operating at much larger scale.
• Mitsubishi Corporation: Largest Japanese general trading company with extensive chemicals, machinery, and electronics trading worldwide — represents the upper-bound incumbent competitor for Dai-ichi's customer base.
• Toyota Tsusho Corporation: Mid-to-large Japanese trading company handling chemicals, electronics, and machinery globally — comparable product breadth and Asia-Latam orientation, but with significantly greater scale and Toyota-group backing.
• Nagase & Co., Ltd. Japanese trading company and chemicals distributor with significant overseas operations including China and Southeast Asia — overlaps with Dai-ichi's chemicals and electronics trading business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/circle-mortgage-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dai-ichi Shoji