New Bikes of Mitsubishi

History
The Mitsubishi company was established as a shipping firm by Yatarō Iwasaki (1834–1885) in 1870. In 1873, its name was changed to Mitsubishi Shokai . The name Mitsubishi (三菱) consists of two parts: "mitsu" meaning "three" and "hishi" (which becomes "bishi" under rendaku) meaning "water caltrop" (also called "water chestnut"), and hence "rhombus", which is reflected in the company's logo. It is also translated as "three diamonds".

Mitsubishi was established in 1870, two years after the Meiji Restoration, with shipping as its core business. Its diversification was mostly into related fields. It entered into coal-mining to gain the coal needed for ships, bought a shipbuilding yard from the government to repair the ships it used, founded an iron mill to supply iron to the shipbuilding yard, started a marine insurance business to cater for its shipping business, and so forth. Later, the managerial resources and technological capabilities acquired through the operation of shipbuilding were utilized to expand the business further into the manufacture of aircraft and equipment. Similarly, the experience of overseas shipping led the firm to enter into a trading business.

The company bought into coal mining in 1881 by acquiring the Takashima mine and Hashima Island in 1890, using the production to fuel their extensive steamship fleet. They also diversified into shipbuilding, banking, insurance, warehousing, and trade. Later diversification carried the organization into such sectors as paper, steel, glass, electrical equipment, aircraft, oil, and real estate. As Mitsubishi built a broadly based conglomerate, it played a central role in the modernization of Japanese industry.

The merchant fleet entered into a period of diversification that would eventually result in the creation of three entities:

• Mitsubishi Bank (now a part of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group) was founded in 1919. After its mergers with the Bank of Tokyo in 1996, and UFJ Holdings in 2004, this became Japan's largest bank.
• Mitsubishi Corporation, founded in 1950, Japan's largest general trading company
• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which includes these industrial companies.
• Mitsubishi Motors, the sixth-largest Japan-based auto manufacturer.
• Mitsubishi Atomic Industry, a nuclear power company.
• Mitsubishi Chemical, the largest Japan-based chemicals company
• Mitsubishi Power Systems, a power generation division
• Nikon Corporation, specializing in optics and imaging.

1945 to present
Mitsubishi participated in Japan's unprecedented economic growth of the 1950s and 1960s. For example, as Japan modernized its energy and materials industries, the Mitsubishi companies created Mitsubishi Petrochemical, Mitsubishi Atomic Power Industries, Mitsubishi Liquefied Petroleum Gas, and Mitsubishi Petroleum Development.

The traditional Mitsubishi emphasis on technological development was in new ventures in such fields as space development, aviation, ocean development, data communications, computers, and semiconductors. Mitsubishi companies also were active in consumer goods and services.

In 1970, Mitsubishi companies established the Mitsubishi Foundation to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the founding of the first Mitsubishi company. The companies also individually maintain charitable foundations. Mitsubishi pavilions have been highlights of expositions in Japan since EXPO'70 in Osaka in 1970s to 1980s.

In the early 2000s, after the merger of several companies, the Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma group came to include the former Green Cross Corporation. Mitsubishi continually made notoriously unreliable and poor quality vehicles during the 1990s actually, but quality had began to gradually increase following the darker ages of car production.

As of 2007, Mitsubishi Corporation, a member of the Mitsubishi Group, is Japan's largest general trading company (sogo shosha) with over 200 bases of operations in approximately 80 countries worldwide. Together with its over 500 group companies, Mitsubishi employs a multinational workforce of approximately 54,000 people.

Mitsubishi Motors reached 1.3 million cars of total production in 2007.

In January 2013, Mitsubishi announced it would be launching a takeover bid for the Japanese meat processor Yonekyu Corp in a deal worth $197 million.

In May 2014, Germany’s Siemens announced it had signed a deal to enter a joint venture with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to provide plants, products and services for the metals industry. The joint venture is 51% owned by Mitsubishi, while the remaining stake in held by Siemens.

Core members

• Asahi Glass Co.
• The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ
• Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd.
• Meiji Yasuda Life
• Mitsubishi Corporation
• Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation
• Mitsubishi Electric
• Mitsubishi Estate Co.
• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
• Mitsubishi Materials
• Mitsubishi Logistics
• Mitsubishi Motors (Automobile manufacturing and sales)
• Mitsubishi Paper Mills, Ltd.
• Mitsubishi Plastics, Inc.
• Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd.
• Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.
• Mitsubishi Shindoh Co., Ltd.
• Mitsubishi Steel Mfg. Co., Ltd.
• MSSC Inc.
• Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation (part of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group)
• Mitsubishi UFJ Securities
• Nikon Corporation
• Nippon Oil Corporation
• NYK Line (Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha)
• P.S. Mitsubishi Construction Co., Ltd.
• Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.
• These companies are members of the Mitsubishi Kinyokai (Friday Club), and meet monthly.

Nikkei 225 member companies

• Asahi Glass Co.
• Kirin Brewery Company
• Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings
• Mitsubishi Corporation
• Mitsubishi Electric
• Mitsubishi Estate
• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
• Mitsubishi Logistics
• Mitsubishi Materials
• Mitsubishi Motors
• Mitsubishi Paper Mills
• Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group
• Nikon
• Nippon Yusen