zaibatsu

American  

[zahy-bah-tsoo] / ˈzaɪ bɑˈtsu /

noun

zaibatsu plural

1. a large industrial or financial conglomerate of Japan.

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zaibatsu British  

/ ˈzaɪbætˈsuː /

noun

1. (functioning as singular or plural) the group or combine comprising a few wealthy families that controls industry, business, and finance in Japan

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• zaibatsu
  plural

Etymology

Origin of zaibatsu

First recorded in 1935–40; from Japanese, equivalent to zai “wealth,” (from Middle Chinese dzoi, Mandarin Chinese cái ) + batsu “powerful clique” (from Middle Chinese bjot “powerful family,” Mandarin Chinese fá ); cf. chaebol ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

zaibatsu

Mitsubishi became one of Japan’s first zaibatsu, family-owned business conglomerates with financial and industrial branches influential in Japanese politics.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022

And that’s actually really similar to the Japanese zaibatsu model from the prewar times, which I find really interesting.

From The Verge ● Apr. 10, 2020

The zaibatsu depend for leadership on the financiers of their powerful banks, have set up central liaison councils with euphemistic names designed to attract as little attention as possible.

From Time Magazine Archive

A creation of one of the zaibatsu, or business cartels, that dominated Japan's early industrialization period, Nikkei struggled for years against public apathy.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Osaka zaibatsu even lent him money, with no attempt to dominate him.

From Time Magazine Archive