How many wholesale companies are there in Japan, by company size?
SHORT ANSWER
- Japan has 167,349 wholesale companies for which accounting data were obtained (2021 Economic Census); counting all companies, there are 174,899.
- Companies with capital of ¥100 million or more number 4,089 (2.4%), but account for 60.2% of sales.
- Companies with capital under ¥100 million number 162,199, employ about 2.01 million people (as of June 1, 2021) and account for 39.6% of sales.
The numbers
| Capital | Companies | Share | Sales (¥ trillion) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under ¥10 million | 72,549 | 43.4% | 12.4 | 4.0% |
| ¥10 million to under ¥30 million | 72,846 | 43.5% | 48.9 | 16.0% |
| ¥30 million to under ¥100 million | 16,804 | 10.0% | 60.2 | 19.6% |
| ¥100 million or more | 4,089 | 2.4% | 184.4 | 60.2% |
| Total | 167,349 | 100% | 306.2 | 100% |
Company counts are as of June 1, 2021; sales are for calendar year 2020. The total includes 1,061 companies with unknown capital.
How to read it
Companies here are kaisha — joint-stock and other company forms. Sole proprietors are not included. Japanese statistics define company size by capital or by number of employees, and the cut-offs differ from one statistic to another.
What this data can't tell you
- These are 2021 figures, not today's count. They remain the latest at this level of detail until results of the next census are released.
- Wholesale trade mixes general trading companies, pharmaceuticals, food, machinery, building materials and more. This page does not break the sector down.
- The count covers only companies for which accounting data were obtained — about 95.7% of all wholesale companies.
The full report adds figures by number of employees, software investment per enterprise, investment trends, labor shortage and aggregates for listed companies.
Go further with the full report
Japan Wholesale Trade Brief (October 2026)
Market size, IT investment and labor shortage in Japanese wholesale trade, by company size, from official statistics.
Sources
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications; Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, 2021 Economic Census for Business Activity (e-Stat tables 0004006337 and 0004006260), compiled by Shokimap. This page uses API functions from e-Stat, however its contents are not guaranteed by government.