Business enterprises in Japan - statistics & facts
Japanese corporations made record profits in 2024, driven by economic recovery and other factors that have affected Japan鈥檚 corporate landscape in the past years. According to the most recent national economic census in 2021, there were around 5.2 million private business establishments in Japan, mainly composed of corporations and sole proprietorships. The wholesale and retail trade industry accounted for the largest share of total enterprises, while about 61 percent of the total sales revenue of private enterprises in the fiscal year 2020 was generated in the industries of wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, and medical, healthcare, and welfare. Japan is known for its powerful conglomerates whose activities span over multiple industries, but in purely numerical terms, SMEs account for the vast majority of business enterprises in the country.
