Section 1. Our Company’s Founding

At the time of O.S.K. Lines’ establishment, there were about 120 onshore employees working at the main office and branch offices, but the number of employees gradually increased as the business took off, and the company building at Tomishima-cho was expanded during the Meiji Period to accommodate them. During the economic boom that followed World War I, the export of war-related goods surged, and Japan’s economy experienced a period of great prosperity. The shipping industry was particularly busy, and O.S.K. Lines continued to add new routes. As a result, the number of employees increased dramatically to the point where the Tomijima-cho building was no longer able to accommodate them.

With that being the case, plans were made to construct a new company building. At first, the company considered replacing the existing offices at Tomijima-cho, but then a plan was put in place to find land in the center of the city and construct new company offices. Although proximity to the docks had made the existing location convenient, it was no longer absolutely necessary to be located at Tomishima due to how large the ships were becoming and the development of ocean routes. Rather, it was preferable to situate the company’s offices in the center of the city in order to promote interaction with cotton suppliers and other business partners. The Tomishima location was inconvenient for conducting negotiations with the Osaka business community.

Thus, O.S.K. Lines went looking for a new location in the heart of Osaka.