Kawasaki Steel Corporation (Kawasaki Seitetsu) was a Japanese steel manufacturing company.

History

Originally forming the Steel Making Department of

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (or simply Kawasaki) is a Japanese Public company, public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, Heavy equipment (construction), heavy equipment, aerospace and Military, defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headq ...

, the Kawasaki Steel Corporation was incorporated in August 1950 following the post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

breakup of the Kawasaki Dockyard. It was headed by a Japanese engineer Nishiyama Yatarō, who had convinced Kawasaki Heavy Industries to perform the breakup. At this point in time the company was using

open hearth furnace An open-hearth furnace or open hearth furnace is any of several kinds of industrial furnace in which excess carbon and other impurities are burnt out of pig iron to produce steel. Because steel is difficult to manufacture owing to its high melt ...

s, but during the 1950s it built an integrated steel mill located at Chiba Works on reclaimed land in

Chiba City is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It sits about east of the centre of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. The city became a government-designated city in 1992. In June 2019, its population was 979,768, with a population density of 3,605 people p ...

. The blooming process of the Chiba Works was first placed under computer control in 1962. In 1966, the company began manufacturing iron powders. It added reduced iron powder and atomized powder manufacturing in 1978, then segregation-free iron powder in 1989. In 1989, it entered into a limit partnership with United States steel company Armco. The company was renamed

AK Steel Holding AK Steel Holdings Corporation was a steelmaking company headquartered in West Chester Township, Butler County, Ohio. The company, whose name was derived from the initials of Armco, its predecessor company, and Kawasaki Steel Corporation, was a ...

in 1993 when it became publicly traded. In 2000, the price war resulting from the so-called

Ghosn Shock Ghosn is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Carlos Ghosn (born 1954), Brazilian-born businessman * Caroline Ghosn (born 1987), American businesswoman * Fadi Ghosn (born 1979), Lebanese footballer * Fayez Ghosn (1950–2021), Leb ...

impacted the business performance of steel manufacturers such as Kawasaki Steel. During the resulting credit crisis, NKK and Kawasaki Steel decided to merge their businesses in April 2001. This merger was completed in September 2002, forming

JFE Holdings is a corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It was formed in 2002 by the merger of and and owns JFE Steel, JFE Engineering and Japan Marine United. JFE is from Japan, Fe (the chemical element symbol of iron) and Engineering. In 2020, it ...

Involvement in Japanese football

The original ''Kawasaki Steel Mizushima'' football (soccer) club was formed in Mizushima, a section of

Kurashiki is a historic city located in western Okayama Prefecture, Japan, sitting on the Takahashi River, on the coast of the Inland Sea. As of March 31, 2017, the city has an estimated population of 483,576 and a population density of 1,400 persons per ...

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefectur ...

, in 1966. In 1975, some "old boy" players formed their own club in the same area, naming it ''River Free Kickers''. In 1995, the main club moved to

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

Hyōgo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...

, and became today's

Vissel Kobe is a Japanese professional football club based in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The team's home stadium is Noevir Stadium Kobe, in Hyōgo-ku, though some home match ...

; the fan club remained in Okayama Prefecture but moved to

Okayama city is the prefectural capital, capital Cities of Japan, city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 720,841 and a population density of 910 persons per ...

in 2004, becoming today's

Fagiano Okayama is a Japanese football club based in Okayama, the capital of Okayama Prefecture. They play in the J2 League, the second tier of the country's football league system. Their home stadium is City Light Stadium, in Okayama City, though some home ...

References

{{Authority control Steel companies of Japan Manufacturing companies established in 1950 Japanese companies established in 1950