Company Overview

Japan Corporate Number: 7-0100-0103-8841
Company Name: Empire Motor Co., Ltd.
Founded: April 10, 1913
Share Capital: JPY 506.8 million
Revenue: JPY 51.0 billion (FY ended Mar 2025)
Employees: 358 (as of Apr 2025; excluding part-time/temporary)
Board of Directors and Audit & Supervisory Board: Representative Director & President (CEO) Atsushi Kamihashi Also responsible for the Corporate Planning Office and Internal Audit Office

Director & Senior Managing Executive Officer Nobuaki Arima In charge of Domestic Sales;　also oversees the Sales Planning Dept. and Overseas Sales Dept.　and Overseas Sales Dept.

Director & Managing Executive Officer Yoshihiko Ito Head of Administration Division;　also responsible for Docomo Business Division

Director & Executive Officer Akio Yoshida General Manager, First Sales HQ;
concurrently President,　Auto Yohin Co., Ltd.

Director & Executive Officer Shuji Toyama General Manager, Second Sales HQ　and General Manager, Logistics Dept.

Director Kazuki Morishita President & CEO,　Yanagisawa Holdings Co., Ltd.

Director & Executive Officer Haruyasu Yamaguchi General Manager, West Japan First Sales Dept.

Director & Executive Officer Yasuaki Mano General Manager, Corporate Planning Office

Full-time Audit & Supervisory Board Member Tadashi Miwa

Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member Koji Tayagura Certified Public Accountant / Tax Accountant

Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member Setsuo Higuchi Certified Public Accountant
Executive Officers: Executive Officer Ken Sakai General Manager, General Affairs & Human Resources Dept.

Executive Officer Hideyuki Kimura General Manager, First Sales Promotion Dept.

Executive Officer Yoshihiro Uematsu General Manager, East Japan First Sales Dept.

Executive Officer Seiji Nishikawa General Manager, Second Sales Promotion Dept.

Executive Officer Naoki Fujise General Manager, Overseas Sales Dept.
Principal Businesses: Sales and import/export of automotive parts, accessories, and service machinery/tools

Sales of telecommunications equipment

Leasing of office space and parking facilities
Main Clients: Leading wholesalers of automotive parts and accessories nationwide; national and local public agencies; overseas distributors/agents.
Main Banks: MUFG Bank, Ltd. – Nihonbashi Chuo Branch

Mizuho Bank, Ltd. – Yaesu-guchi Branch

Resona Bank, Ltd. – Nihonbashi Branch

The Joyo Bank, Ltd. – Ueno Branch

The Kita-Nippon Bank, Ltd. – Tokyo Branch

Head Office

2-23-1 Hatchobori, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0032, Japan

TEL: +81-3-3555-6000 (Main)

1-minute walk from Hatchobori Station (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line)

Corporate History

1913 (Taisho 2): Ryozo Yanagida founded Empire Motor Co. in Nihonbashi-ku, Tokyo (present-day 2-2 Nihonbashi-dori, Chuo-ku). Began importing and selling Empire and Crow-Elkhart automobiles.
1925 (Taisho 14): With the launch of Japan Ford Motor Co., became an agent. Established a service station in Shibaura. Formed a business alliance with Banzai Boeki Shokai (now BANZAI LTD.), transferring the handling of parts, machinery, and tools other than Ford vehicles.
1933 (Showa 8): Established Oasis Gasoline Service Station (now New Oasis Co., Ltd.).
1939 (Showa 14): Incorporated as Empire Motor Co., Ltd.
1945 (Showa 20): Head office and store were partially damaged during the war; repaired and resumed wholesale and export of parts and accessories after the war.
1946 (Showa 21): Became Japan’s general agent for trailers, buses, and trucks manufactured by Hino Sangyo Co., Ltd. (now Hino Motors, Ltd.).
1948 (Showa 23): Established New Empire Motor Co., Ltd. and reinstated Ford agency rights.
1950 (Showa 25): Capital: JPY 6 million. Established Kanto Hino Diesel Sales Co., Ltd. (now Tokyo Hino Motor Sales Co., Ltd.), transferring agency rights for Hino Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.
1953 (Showa 28): Capital: JPY 10 million.
1957 (Showa 32): Capital: JPY 30 million. Minao Ueshima appointed President.
1965 (Showa 40): Capital: JPY 100 million. Established Auto Yohin Co., Ltd.
1969 (Showa 44): Capital: JPY 168 million. Introduced computerized inventory control and installed telex; established Nishi-Nihon Empire Co., Ltd.
1971 (Showa 46): Capital: JPY 201.6 million. Head office relocated from Nihonbashi to Hatchobori.
1972 (Showa 47): Established Empire Building Co., Ltd.; new Empire Building (Head Office) completed.
1973 (Showa 48): Opened a U.S. representative office. Minao Ueshima became Chairman; Kakuhira Iwanami appointed President.
1974 (Showa 49): Capital: JPY 250 million.
1976 (Showa 51): Established local subsidiary Empire Industries Pte. Ltd. in Singapore.
1977 (Showa 52): Introduced a large mainframe (UNIVAC 1106); completed a nationwide online real-time network.
1983 (Showa 58): Opened the Omiya Distribution Center; compiled the 70th anniversary company history.
1987 (Showa 62): Opened Osaka Distribution Center.
1988 (Showa 63): Opened Fukuoka Distribution Center. Established local subsidiary Empire Motor (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. in Malaysia.
1989 (Heisei 1): Capital: JPY 300 million. Opened Tohoku Distribution Center.
1991 (Heisei 3): Completed construction of the new Takanawa Empire Building.
1993 (Heisei 5): 80th anniversary (April 10). Opened Nagoya Distribution Center.
1994 (Heisei 6): Relocated to a newly constructed Fukuoka Distribution Center building.
1995 (Heisei 7): Opened Sapporo Distribution Center. Established Mobile Communications Sales Department. Kakuhira Iwanami became Chairman; Koichiro Obi appointed President. Capital: JPY 360 million.
1997 (Heisei 9): Capital: JPY 432 million.
1998 (Heisei 10): Opened Metropolitan Logistics Center.
1999 (Heisei 11): Reorganized into six divisions. Koichiro Obi became Chairman; Shigeru Taguchi appointed President.
2002 (Heisei 14): Established Shanghai Representative Office.
2003 (Heisei 15): 90th anniversary (April 10).
2004 (Heisei 16): Shigeru Taguchi became Chairman; Akinari Ide appointed President. Established local subsidiary Empire Auto Parts Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. in Shanghai.
2006 (Heisei 18): Capital: JPY 464.4 million. Taketoshi Hashizume became Chairman; Akinari Ide appointed President. Established Bangkok Representative Office in Thailand.
2007 (Heisei 19): Capital: JPY 506.88 million.
2008 (Heisei 20): Akinari Ide became Chairman; Toru Kimura appointed President.
2009 (Heisei 21): Established local subsidiary Empire Motor (Bangkok) Co., Ltd. in Thailand.
2010 (Heisei 22): Opened Akita Delivery Center.
2011 (Heisei 23): Toru Kimura became Chairman; Yukihisa Akiba appointed President.
2012 (Heisei 24): Opened Matsuyama Delivery Center.
2013 (Heisei 25): 100th anniversary (April 10).
2015 (Heisei 27): Temporarily relocated head office functions due to rebuilding of the Empire Building. Opened Kudamatsu Branch. Relocated Sapporo Sales Office. Established Uchida Auto Co., Ltd., acquiring all automobile sales operations from a new/used car dealer in Saitama Prefecture.
2016 (Heisei 28): Relocated Osaka Second Sales Department.
2017 (Heisei 29): Completed construction of the new Empire Building (Head Office).
2021 (Reiwa 3): Yukihisa Akiba became Chairman; Atsushi Uehashi appointed President. Relocated Overseas Logistics Center.
2022 (Reiwa 4): Relocated Osaka Second Sales Department.
2024 (Reiwa 6): Relocated Sendai Sales Office.
2025 (Reiwa 7): Relocated Nagoya Sales Office.