Kajima
One of Japan’s oldest and largest general contractors, providing construction, engineering, infrastructure, environmental, and real-estate services worldwide.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Kajima is a major Japanese construction and engineering group whose origins trace to a carpentry business founded by Iwakichi Kajima in Edo, present-day Tokyo, in 1840. Over nearly two centuries, it developed from a domestic builder into a diversified general contractor active across building construction, civil engineering, infrastructure, industrial facilities, environmental services, and real-estate development. The company is headquartered in Motoakasaka, Minato, Tokyo, and operates through subsidiaries and affiliated businesses in Japan and overseas markets including Asia, Oceania, Europe, North America, and the Middle East. The company’s early history is associated with technical modernization in Japan. In 1860, Kajima undertook what is described as Japan’s first Western-style building, Ei-Ichiban Kan, in Yokohama. Kajima Gumi was established in 1880, and the business expanded into railway construction in Korea and Taiwan from 1899. After incorporating and issuing stock in 1930, Kajima became increasingly involved in large national infrastructure projects. Its postwar work included reconstruction, research and development, transportation infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and major projects connected with Japan’s rapid economic growth. Kajima has often positioned itself around difficult, technically demanding projects. It constructed Japan’s first nuclear reactor at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute’s Tokai site, participated in the Tokaido Shinkansen works, and completed the Kasumigaseki Building in 1968, widely recognized as Japan’s first high-rise office building. The company also worked on facilities for the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games and later delivered major transport and civil-engineering assets such as the Seikan Tunnel, Kansai International Airport, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, the Suez Canal Bridge, the Dubai Metro, and Resorts World Sentosa. Its operating scope extends beyond traditional contracting. Kajima provides design, engineering, procurement and construction, project management, infrastructure construction, building maintenance, and real-estate development. Its civil-engineering portfolio includes railways, tunnels, bridges, dams, airports, and power plants, while its building activities cover high-rise offices, commercial facilities, hotels, resorts, and other complex structures. During the construction downturn of the latter half of the 1990s, Kajima expanded further into environmental businesses, including waste treatment, water treatment, soil remediation, and environmental consulting. Kajima has also developed construction technologies intended to improve safety, productivity, and resource recovery. Its hydraulic-jack demolition method allows certain high-rise buildings to be dismantled floor by floor rather than demolished conventionally from the ground. In documented 2008 projects involving 17-story and 20-story buildings, the method enabled high rates of recovery for steel, concrete, and interior materials. The company is also associated with the DIB-200 proposal, an advanced building concept referenced in accounts of Kajima’s technical and architectural development. International expansion has been pursued through dedicated regional subsidiaries, joint ventures, acquisitions, and project offices. Milestones include the establishment of Kajima International in Los Angeles in 1964, Kajima Europe in the Netherlands in 1987, Kajima Overseas Asia in Singapore in 1988, and Kajima Shanghai Construction in 2003. Kajima increased its position in the Indonesian Waskita Kajima venture in 1998 and later renamed the business Kajima Indonesia. It acquired Hawaiian Dredging from Dillingham Construction in 2002 and purchased Australian construction company Icon Construction in 2017. The company remains an active, internationally oriented contractor and developer, although its history also includes legal and regulatory scrutiny connected with public-project bidding.
History
Kajima’s history begins in 1840, when Iwakichi Kajima started a carpentry business in Edo, the city now known as Tokyo. The enterprise became involved in Japan’s early modernization, constructing Ei-Ichiban Kan in Yokohama in 1860, an early Western-style building. Kajima Gumi was established in 1880, creating a more formal organizational base for the expanding business. From 1899, the company undertook railway construction projects in Korea and Taiwan, marking an early step beyond local building work. Kajima participated in reconstruction following the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923. It incorporated in 1930 and issued stock with capital of three million yen. Following the Second World War, the company supported reconstruction and broadened its technical capabilities. In 1947, it built Asia’s first high-speed chairlift at the Shiga Kogen ski area. Two years later, it established the Kajima Technical Research Institute, described in the source material as Japan’s first construction research facility. In 1950, Kajima pioneered a joint venture with Morrison-Knudsen, an early example of its use of international partnerships. The postwar period brought increasingly sophisticated engineering assignments. In 1957, Kajima completed Japan’s first nuclear reactor, the JRR-1 reactor at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. Construction of the Tokaido Shinkansen began in 1959. Kajima was listed on the Tokyo and Osaka stock exchanges in 1961, and by 1963 it was described as the world’s leading construction company by total contract value. The company also constructed facilities for the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games and established Kajima International Incorporated in Los Angeles that year. In 1968, Kajima completed the Kasumigaseki Building, a landmark commonly identified as Japan’s first high-rise building. The structure later became the central subject of the film Chokoso no Akebono, which Kajima supported. International and regional expansion continued through the creation of Kajima Europe in the Netherlands in 1987 and Kajima Overseas Asia in Singapore in 1988. Kajima also participated in major infrastructure works, including the Seikan Tunnel, completed in 1988 and described in the source material at the time as the world’s longest tunnel. The 1990s brought several major Japanese projects. Kajima completed construction of Kansai International Airport in 1994 and the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in 1998. In the same year, it increased its shareholding in Waskita Kajima, became the venture’s majority shareholder, and renamed the business Kajima Indonesia. As construction conditions weakened in the latter half of the decade, Kajima diversified into environmental services, particularly waste treatment, water treatment, soil rehabilitation, and environmental consulting. The company continued its overseas development in the 2000s. It completed the Suez Canal Bridge in 2001, acquired Hawaiian Dredging from Dillingham Construction in 2002, and established Kajima Shanghai Construction in 2003. Later project milestones included the completion of Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore in 2010 and Dubai Metro phases one and two in 2011. In 2017, Kajima purchased Australian construction company Icon Construction. Alongside construction and engineering, the company developed building-demolition technology using hydraulic jacks to lower structures floor by floor. In 2008 demonstrations involving 17-story and 20-story buildings, the process achieved substantial recovery of structural and interior materials. Kajima remains an active international construction and development group, while its public-project bidding practices became the subject of a major legal investigation in 2018.
- 2018
Chuo Shinkansen bidding case
[1]A Kajima division head is arrested and Kajima is later criminally indicted in connection with alleged competition-law violations involving maglev-line bidding.
- 2017
Icon Construction acquired
[1]Kajima purchases Australian construction company Icon Construction.
- 2002
Hawaiian Dredging acquired
[1]Kajima acquires Hawaiian Dredging from Dillingham Construction.
- 2001
Suez Canal Bridge completed
[1]Kajima completes the Suez Canal Bridge.
- 1998
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge and Kajima Indonesia expansion
[1]Kajima completes the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge and becomes the majority shareholder of Waskita Kajima, subsequently renaming the business Kajima Indonesia.
- 1994
Kansai International Airport completed
[1]Kajima completes construction work for Kansai International Airport.
- 1988
Seikan Tunnel completed
[1]Kajima participates in completing the Seikan Tunnel, described in the source material as the world’s longest tunnel at the time.
- 1968
Kasumigaseki Building completed
[1]Kajima completes the Kasumigaseki Building, widely recognized as Japan’s first high-rise building.
- 1964
International subsidiary established
[1]Kajima International Incorporated is established in Los Angeles as part of the company’s overseas expansion.
- 1961
Stock-market listings
[1]Kajima is listed on the Tokyo and Osaka stock exchanges.
Products and positioning
A technically oriented, full-service general contractor known for large infrastructure, complex buildings, international project execution, construction research, and expansion into environmental and real-estate businesses.
Construction and general contracting
Building construction
Kajima designs and constructs high-rise offices, commercial buildings, hotels, resorts, and other complex structures. Its building business combines architectural coordination, engineering, construction management, and delivery of technically demanding facilities. The Kasumigaseki Building is among the company’s best-known historical projects and is associated with the emergence of Japanese high-rise construction.
Infrastructure construction
Civil engineering and infrastructure
Kajima undertakes large civil-engineering projects including railways, high-speed rail infrastructure, metros, tunnels, bridges, dams, airports, ports, and power facilities. The company’s documented project history includes the Tokaido Shinkansen, Seikan Tunnel, Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Kansai International Airport, Suez Canal Bridge, and Dubai Metro.
Environmental engineering
Environmental services
Kajima expanded into environmental activities during the construction downturn of the late 1990s. The described service areas include waste treatment, water treatment, soil rehabilitation, and environmental consulting, complementing its engineering and infrastructure capabilities.
Real estate
Real-estate development
Real-estate development is one of Kajima’s stated business areas. The activity extends the group beyond fee-based contracting into the planning and development of property and mixed-use projects, supported by its construction, engineering, and project-management capabilities.
Construction technology
Hydraulic-jack demolition technology
Kajima developed a demolition method that uses hydraulic jacks to dismantle suitable buildings one floor at a time. The approach is intended to improve safety and support material recovery. In 2008 projects involving 17-story and 20-story buildings, the source material reported recovery of 99 percent of steel and concrete and 92 percent of interior materials.
Controversies
2018
Chuo Shinkansen maglev bidding investigation
On March 2, 2018, a Kajima division head was arrested by a Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office investigative team over suspected violations of Japan’s Act on Prohibition of Private Monopolization and Maintenance of Fair Trade in relation to bidding for the Chuo Shinkansen maglev line. On March 23, the Fair Trade Commission issued a criminal indictment against both the division head and Kajima Corporation.
Brand decisions
2017
Icon Construction acquisitionM&ABackground
Kajima continued to expand its overseas construction operations.
Action taken
Kajima purchased Australian construction company Icon Construction.
Aftermath
The deal increased Kajima’s presence in Australia.
2002
Hawaiian Dredging acquisitionM&ABackground
Kajima sought to develop and maintain its international construction platform.
Action taken
Kajima acquired Hawaiian Dredging from Dillingham Construction.
Aftermath
The acquisition expanded Kajima’s operating presence in Hawaii and the wider North American market.
1998
Majority position in Waskita KajimaM&ABackground
Kajima had operated Waskita Kajima as a joint venture with Indonesia’s Waskita Karya.
Action taken
Kajima acquired Waskita Karya’s shareholding, became the majority shareholder, and renamed the company Kajima Indonesia.
Aftermath
The transaction strengthened Kajima’s direct position in the Indonesian construction market.
1990
Diversification into environmental servicesStrategyBackground
A downturn in the construction industry during the latter half of the 1990s increased the need for Kajima to broaden its business base.
Action taken
Kajima expanded into waste treatment, water treatment, soil rehabilitation, and environmental consulting.
Aftermath
Environmental services became an additional field alongside construction, engineering, infrastructure, and real-estate development.
Recent events
Palfinger signs crane supplier agreement for Japanese offshore wind farms[2]
Palfinger signed a crane supplier agreement with Kajima Corporation / Taiko Trading and was commissioned to deliver 33 fixed boom cranes for the Akita and Noshiro offshore wind farms in Japan.
Sources2 sources
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