Shiawase Corporation
Shiawase Corporation is one of the first megacorporations and a founding member of the Corporate Court. As a member of the Big Ten, Shiawase has substantial influence on the world at large despite the reputation for slow decline. The Shiawase family runs the corporation of the same name and requires major executives within the company to be familialy bound to the Shiawase, creating an almost feudal internal structure.
Structure
Shiawase is organized divisionally rather than regionally, leading to a heavily de-centralized structure. Each division operates independently, headed by a member of the Shiawase family. Each division also runs its own set of subsidiaries which in turn have a high level of independence compared to other corporate subsidiaries. Many of these subsidiaries are also purposefully disconnected from Shiawase itself, allowing them to muddy their hands in ways that would ruin Shiawase's reputation.
Beyond a certain level, most higher level executives are expected to have some familial connection to the Shiawase family. These connections tend to have several degrees of separation; a spouse that has a cousin that has a grandparent that is related to the Shiawase line. By extension, nepotism is encouraged at Shiawase and its subsidiaries especially if the hiring family member is already well established and proven.
Primary Divisions
Shiawase has three main divisions, each of which focuses on energy development and biotechnology. Further divisions do exist, but most of the industries outside of these are handled by Shiawase's subsidiaries.Shiawase Atomics
Managing Director: Christopher Keratsu Shiawase is perhaps best known for its energy division whose actions led to the pivotal Shiawase Decision. Shiawase Atomics runs most of the energy prodcution for the UCAS and some of the eastern coastline of Asia. Shiawase operates several nuclear power plants around the globe, the uranium for which is sourced from Australia. Shiawase seems to have interest in establishing further plants in Africa, but Saeder-Krupp also has similar ambitions, leading to tension between the two companies.Shiawase Environtech
Managing Director: Mamoru Shiawase Shiawase Environtech focuses on environmental engineering especially the creation of biological agents and paranormal animal breeding. The current focus of the division is in environmental enrichment and reforestation. The current director of Environtech, Mamoru Shiawase, is a distant cousin of the main branch. His appointment to director came with little notice, so the previously academically inclined Mamoru had to suddenly take up a high-level management position. Most indicators show that Mamoru's inexperience brings down the division, so his lifespan is likely extremely short.Shiawase Biotech
Managing Director: Etsu Powicke Shiawase Biotech covers a wide range of products and industries that fall under the general umbrella of biotechnology. This includes cyberware, medical supplies, pharmaceuticals and bioware. Etsu Powicke, the current director, worked as a cybertechnician with a penchant for bending ethics and morality. Rather than deal with Powicke directly, his superiors gave him a desk job in the hopes that it would mellow him out. Instead, he's used the new position to fund whatever he deems interesting, draining the division's funds in the process. Both Sadato and Soko Shiawase keep a close eye on Powicke, hoping that one of his projects can create longevity treatments akin to leonization.Culture
Shiawase stands as both the oldest corporation and the one most synonymous with the phrase "corporate family." Shiawase encourages employees to get family members on board, live in corporate enclaves, and sign lifelong contracts with the corporation. Children raised within a corporate enclave are heavily encouraged to join the corporation when they come of age. Mentor programs bring in children that show potential where they learn Japanese, corporate etiquette, and absorb corporate propaganda. Students that show magial talent, especially involving empathetic or investigative magical abilities, get put at the top of the list, thanks to the potential of even greater magical talent in the next generation.
History
The Shiawase Decision
Although Shiawase almost certainly existed in one form or another before 1989, that is the year generally attributed to when the company first formed. A man named Emori Shiawase consolidated several other failing companies owned by members of his family under a single company, named after their common bond. Emori, a shrewd businessman, spent the following decade growing the company from a limited an extremely local business into an international enterprise, reaching out into an industry he saw as valuable to the longterm benefit of the company. At the turn of the millennium, one of these growing industries was the energy industry, which had to grow alongside the rapid technological growth seen by that era. To that end, Emori contacted the United States government to request the right to build a nuclear reactor on US grounds. The US Energy Department denied Emori's request, so he appealed the case, ultimately leading to the Shiawase Decision, which not only granted Shiawase the right to build a reactor but also gave the corporation the right to extraterritoriality, the first instance of a corporation gaining that right in the world. While other corporations tried to follow in Shiawase's footsteps and gain extraterritorial status, Shiawase used its early advantage to spread out into even more industries. The fact that regulations couldn't stick to a corporation with extraterritorial status meant that Shiawase could start monopolies in whatever industry they desired. In addition to the energy industry, Shiawase also branched into the evironmental and biotechnical industries, which define their divisions to this day.The Corporate Court and Succession
As more corporations gained extraterritoriality, Shiawase faded into the background of the public eye. The chaos of the Awakening hit everyone hard, the Shiawase family included. Sadato Shiawase's firstborn son died shortly after he was born, which is now believed to have been the result of UGE-related infanticide, and it likely wasn't the only instance of UGE-related death among the family. For the most part, however, Shiawase survived the return of magic without major shifts to its government practice. When the decision to form a Corporate Court circulated in 2010, Shiawase joined the Big Seven corporations that supported the idea. Further conflicts arose between members of the Big Seven, but Shiawase managed to sidestep most of the fire. What did hit Shiawase hard was the death of Emori to heart disease in 2019. Several Shiawase family members ran the family during the next decade, but none managed to hold on to the company for very long. The Crash of '29 finally shook the company up enough for it to pass down to Emori's son, Sadato Shiawase. Unfortunately for Sadato, both of his still-living siblings, Soko Shiawase and Ryoi Shiawase have also vied for the position, leading to tensions between the siblings. Soko in particular roiled at her brother's authority, so she began ploys to pull him out of power. The 2040s were filled with corporate espionage on both sides as Soko and Sabato attempted to shift power away from each other. Sabato solidified his power base by creating the Market Information and Forecasting Department (MIFD), which while ostensibly established to keep watch on other corporations, more often kept track of internal shifts while Soko schemed. Sabato managed to keep Soko just barely out of reach, but finally overstepped in 2049 when he had Soko's fiance arrested for espionage, with charge trumped up to keep him in jail for years. In response, Soko sent two assassins to kill Sabato. Both failed, but the second one accidentally killed their third sibling, Ryoi. After his death, both of his siblings have settled down. Nowadays, factions loyal to all three Shiawase siblings, as well as some less notable members of the family, each try to push their own leader to the top. Soko and Sabato both have extensive influence within the corporation, and even Ryoi's influence hasn't disappeared. Shortly after Ryoi's death, a woman named Jerri Howard appeared on the scene, claiming to be a voice for the ghost of Ryoi, who had been haunting him. Although Ryoi's shares still belong to Ryoi, presumably in his afterlife, Howard decides what is done with his share of the company's votes, presumably used as instructed by Ryoi. Meanwhile, most of the day-to-day operations of the corporation, as well as the title of CEO, have fallen to Sabato's son, Tadashi Shiawase, who acts as his puppet while also drawing attention away from the man himself.
Founding Date
1989
Type
Corporation, Energy Industry
Leader
Ruling Organization
Founders
Notable Members
Comments