History

From1898

Toward Foundation and the Birth of Kumagai Gumi

Kumagai Gumi began in January 1898 when Santaro Kumagai, a stonemason from Fukui, received an order to construct the waterway for the Shukununo Power Plant, which would be just the third power plant in Japan. Thereafter Santaro would hone his skills and gain trust through various construction projects throughout Japan including railways and power plants, and then in January 1938 he took the first step toward modern management by reorganizing into a joint-stock company.

  • 1898

    • JanuaryFounded Kumagai Gumi

  • 1899

    • MayConstruction completed of the Shukununo Power Plant
      (Construction started in November 1897)
    Construction completed of the Shukununo Power Plant

  • 1937

    • AugustSanshin Railway (currently the JR Iida Line) completely opens
    Sanshin Railway (currently the JR Iida Line) completely opens

  • 1938

    • JanuaryKumagai Gumi Co., Ltd. established (Capital 400,000 yen)
    Kumagai Gumi Co., Ltd. established
    Representative Director: Santaro Kumagai
    Head Office: 1, Uemachi, Dojima-cho, Fukui-shi

  • 1939

    • JanuaryCompany regulations established (Revised in 1946, Corporate Philosophy)
    Company regulations established

  • 1940

    • JanuaryTasaburo Kumagai appointed as president, Santaro Kumagai appointed as chairman

From1941

From Post-war Recovery to Kurobe Dam

After surviving the difficult wartime period, immediately after the war Kumagai Gumi established a Construction Division. This allowed the company to make a major contribution to Japan's recovery in the construction field as well as the civil engineering field that was its forte. The Kurobegawa No.4 Power Station construction project that was planned to eliminate serious electricity shortage during the high economic growth period, and Kumagai Gumi began construction of the Omachi Tunnel (currently Kanden Tunnel) which required difficult construction would remain in the annuals of Japan's civil engineering history. This struggle was even immortalized in the novel and movie Kurobe no Taiyo (Sun of Kurobe).

  • 1945

    • AprilTokyo Office completely incinerated by an aerial bombardment
    • MayA temporary structure was erected on the site of the burned Tokyo Kumagai secondary residence to use as an office and dormitory.
    • JulyKumagai Gumi Head Office burned in the aerial bombardment of Fukui City

  • 1946

    • MayNagoya Plant operations begun (later Toyokawa Plant, currently Technos Co., Ltd. )

  • 1947

    • JuneTechnology Research Office established (within the Tokyo Office)

  • 1948

    • MayRegistered in the Japan Armature Baseball Association (Baseball Team established)

  • 1952

    • AprilRegistered in the Basketball Industrial & Commercial League (Basketball Team established)

  • 1954

    • SeptemberConstruction of the new Tokyo Office building completed
    Construction of the new Tokyo Office building completed

  • 1955

    • AprilConstruction completed of the Higashi-Ueda Power Station tunnel which set a monthly progress record of 218.2m and used the full-face excavation method for the first time in Japan.

  • 1956

    • AugustConstruction completed of the Kanmon National Road Shimonoseki Entrance Tunnel using the roof shield method for the first time in Japan

  • 1957

    • AugustWon the 28th Intercity Baseball Tournament.(Also won the 31st and 37th Intercity Baseball Tournaments)
    Won the 28th Intercity Baseball Tournament.
    • SeptemberWinning at the 3rd World Baseball Championship (in Detroit）

  • 1958

    • FebruaryKuroyon/Omachi Tunnel opens
    Kuroyon/Omachi Tunnel opens

From1961

Phenomenal Growth

As Japan's economy continued to grow rapidly, Kumagai Gumi's Construction Division continuously received the BCS Award, the most prestigious award in the construction industry and also demonstrated remarkable development, such as the independent construction of super high-rise buildings. The Civil Engineering Division continued to make civil engineering history in Japan, such as being the first to implement NATM, which became the standard method for tunnel construction in Japan. Kumagai Gumi also began expanding its business overseas with waterway construction in Hong Kong.

  • 1961

    • MarchConstruction completed of Wakato Bridge, the first long suspension bridge in Japan
    Construction completed of Wakato Bridge, the first long suspension bridge in Japan

  • 1963

    • MarchConstruction completed of the Nagoya City High-speed Railway Kakuouzan Tunnel using the circular shield method employing concrete segments for the first time in Japan
    • JulyConstruction completed of the Tokaido Shinkansen Izumigoe Tunnel for which the wall plate drift method developed by Kumagai Gumi was used for the first time in the world
    • OctoberRevised corporate logo
    Revised corporate logo

  • 1966

    • AugustConstruction completed of the Hong Kong Plover Cove Headrace Tunnel, Kumagai Gumi's first overseas project
    Construction completed of the Hong Kong Plover Cove Headrace Tunnel, Kumagai Gumi's first overseas project

  • 1967

    • NovemberJinichi Makita appointed as president

  • 1969

    • FebruaryConstruction completed of the Chiyoda Line Ochanomizu Station, Japan's first eyeglasses type shielded subway station

  • 1970

    • AprilPublic stock offering

  • 1974

    • MarchConstruction of the new headquarters building completed (current headquarters building)
    Construction of the new headquarters building completed (current headquarters building)

  • 1978

    • MayConstruction completed of the Shinjuku Nomura Building, the first independent construction of a super high-rise building in Japan
    Construction completed of the Shinjuku Nomura Building, the first independent construction of a super high-rise building in Japan
    • DecemberTaichiro Kumagai appointed as president

From1981

Challenges that Led to Growth

Kumagai Gumi's overseas business, which started in Hong Kong, spread around the world to Taiwan and Southeast Asia as well as North America, Australia, and Europe among other areas. The company also participated in many representative large projects in Japan. In 1985 the order amount for Kumagai Gumi exceeded 1 trillion yen, and that year the ordinary income was 32.6 billion yen; No.1 in the construction industry.
During the second half of the 1990s, however, Kumagai Gumi gradually began to be impacted by the burst of the Bubble Economy.

  • 1981

    • SeptemberBegan the New City Higashi-Totsuka; the largest urban development project in Japan
    Began the New City Higashi-Totsuka; the largest urban development project in Japan
    • DecemberConstruction completed of the Joetsu Shinkansen Nakayama Tunnel using NATM for the first time in Japan
    Construction completed of the Joetsu Shinkansen Nakayama Tunnel using NATM for the first time in Japan

  • 1985

    • MarchThe Seikan Tunnel, the longest undersea tunnel in the world at the time opens
    The Seikan Tunnel, the longest undersea tunnel in the world at the time opens

  • 1988

    • MarchThe Institute of Construction Technology opens in Tsukuba
    • AprilThe Seto Ohashi Bridge (Onaruto Bridge) connecting Honshu and Shikoku opens
    • OctoberThe Keiyo Toshin Line Kyobashi Tunnel opens. This tunnel used the horizontal twin MF type muddy water shield method for the first time in Japan.

  • 1989

    • SeptemberConstruction completed of the undersea Hong Kong Eastern Harbour Crossing (EHC) Tunnel, the first BOT project in Hong Kong in which a Japanese construction company was involved

  • 1990

    • MayConstruction completed of the Bank of China Hong Kong Branch Building
    Construction completed of the Bank of China Hong Kong Branch Building

  • 1991

    • MarchBasketball Team wins the Emperor's Cup and Empress's Cup Basketball 1992
    Basketball Team wins the Emperor's Cup and Empress's Cup Basketball 1992
    (Also wins the Emperor's Cup and Empress's Cup Basketball 1994)
    • JuneCompleted construction of the Naramata Dam, the largest rock fill dam in Japan

  • 1992

    • JanuaryBasketball Team wins the 67th National Japanese Basketball Championship

  • 1993

    • MarchConstruction completed of the Makuhari Prince Hotel (currently APA Hotels & Resorts, Tokyo Bay Makuhari), the tallest super high-rise hotel in Japan
    • OctoberManagement Philosophy established

  • 1997

    • AprilTrans-Tokyo Bay Highway Kawasaki Tunnel Ukishima-kita opens
    Trans-Tokyo Bay Highway Kawasaki Tunnel Ukishima-kita opens
    • NovemberYoshio Matsumoto appointed as president

  • 1998

    • January100-year anniversary since founding

  • 2000

    • DecemberKazutoshi Torikai appointed as president
    • DecemberConstruction completed of the Toei Subway Oedo Line Iidabashi Station using the horizontal triple type MF shield method for the first time in the world
    Construction completed of the Toei Subway Oedo Line Iidabashi Station using the horizontal triple type MF shield method for the first time in the world（1）
    Construction completed of the Toei Subway Oedo Line Iidabashi Station using the horizontal triple type MF shield method for the first time in the world（2）

From2001

Difficult Period and Toward Recovery

Kumagai Gumi faces the most serious management crisis since its founding caused by its large-scale real-estate investments during the economic bubble. The company entered new construction fields, such as mobile communication towers and wind and solar power generation facilities, to proceed with thorough management reforms and survive the construction downturn. The company also began developing new technologies in preparation for the next generation, such as unmanned construction. In 2014, Kumagai Gumi completed the retirement of preferred shares, which are a type of financial support, and thus completed its restructuring thanks to the support of many people.

  • 2001

    • MarchCitizens Plaza Joetsu, the first PFI in Japan, opens
    Citizens Plaza Joetsu, the first PFI in Japan, opens

  • 2003

    • AugustCapital reduced due to deficit disposition (Approx. 33.4 billion yen → Approx. 3.3 billion yen)
    • OctoberCapital increased by issuing preferred shares Approx. 3.3 billion yen → Approx. 13.3 billion yen),and the real-estate business, etc., were spun off as new companies

  • 2004

    • DecemberOpening of TAIPEI 101, the tallest super high-rise building in the world at the time
    Opening of TAIPEI 101, the tallest super high-rise building in the world at the time

  • 2005

    • AprilHiroshi Oota appointed as president
    • AugustConstruction completed of the Kanazawa Outer Ring Road Wakunami Tunnel using the PSS-Arch method for the first time in the world
    Construction completed of the Kanazawa Outer Ring Road Wakunami Tunnel using the PSS-Arch method for the first time in the world

  • 2008

    • NovemberConstruction completed of the Tohoku Shinkansen Sanbongi Tunnel using SENS, a new tunnel construction method that combines NATM with shields, for the first time in the world
    Construction completed of the Tohoku Shinkansen Sanbongi Tunnel using SENS, a new tunnel construction method that combines NATM with shields, for the first time in the world

  • 2010

    • JuneKumagai Gumi was the first in the construction industry to be certified as an "Eco-First Company"

  • 2013

    • JuneYasushi Higuchi appointed as president

  • 2016

    • AprilThe Kumagai Gumi Group Vision announced
    • AugustParticipation in the Hong Kong Eastern Harbour Crossing Tunnel (undersea tunnel) MOM business

  • 2017

    • AprilMascot character "Kuma Shocho" (Works Chief Kuma) established
    Mascot character 'Kuma Shocho' (Works Chief Kuma) established
    • NovemberEstablished business and capital partnership with Sumitomo Forestry Co., Ltd.

  • 2018

    • January120-year anniversary since founding
    • AprilYasunori Sakurano appointed as president.

From2021

  • 2021

    • JulyRebuilding of the Fukui Head Office completed *Opened on September 6th
    Rebuilding of the Fukui Head Office completed *Opened on September 6th

  • 2024

    • AprilShin Ueda appointed as president
Corporate Information