When hearing about KEN Corporation, many people would think of a
company
leasing luxury residences for non-Japanese.
Since our inception, we have introduced convenient and luxurious
living
spaces to non-Japanese working for global companies and embassies, providing
them with
properties and services that have earned a high degree of satisfaction.
Today, however, the KEN Corporation Group is a conglomerate that
responds
to diversifying needs, providing valuable spaces for our customers not only in
the real
estate business but also in the cultural, hotel, and solar power generation
businesses.
Not only in housing, but also in various other fields, we aim to
improve
the urban environment and play a role in civic leadership based on the
philosophy of
"contribution first, profit later”.
KEN Corporation takes great pride in being recommended by its
customers,
so how has the company progressed over the past 50 years? Today we would like to
share
our journey with you.
Founding Period｜Real Estate for Non-Japanese
Ken Corporation was founded in 1972 by Kensuke Tanaka in a small
apartment
in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (relocated to Nishiazabu the following year).
During Japan's period of rapid economic growth, the business was
also a
path of social contribution that Tanaka began with hope and passion.
Ken Corporation responded to the changing needs of society and
soon
established itself as a leading luxury real estate brokerage firm. As the
business
expanded, a sales department was established in 1975.
Expansion｜Increasing Demand in 1980s
During the economic heyday in Japan, Ken Corporation expanded its
market
to meet the growing demands of its customers. We established the first branch at
Kichijoji, and Office Leasing Dept. in 1985.
In 1986, Residential Property Management Dept. was established,
followed
by the Planning Department and the Iidabashi Branch (formerly Mejiro Branch) in
1987,
and Jiyugaoka Branch in 1988.
As the scale of our business expanded, we developed a system to
meet the
various needs of our clients living in Japan, and it was during this period that
we grew
into a comprehensive think tank for high-end real estate.
The company's commitment to providing comfortable and fulfilling
real
estate services, from detailed information to real estate consulting, remains
unchanged
to this day.
Stable Growth｜Overcome the “BUBBLE Economy
Burst”
After the bursting of the bubble economy in the early 1990s, the
Japanese
economy experienced sluggish growth and deflation was in full swing as the new
century
began.
KEN Corporation was able to weather the long "setback" of the
Japanese
economy primarily because it anticipated and prepared for the recession. And our
solid
business style from before the bubble period has earned us tremendous trust from
our
clients to this day.
We established Shibuya and Daikanyama Branch (formerly
Shimokitazawa
Branch) in 1990, Yokohama Branch and Commercial Property Management Dept. in
1994, R.A.
Asset
Management Inc. and Ken Rental Estate Investment Advisors Ltd. in
1998,
Ginza Bayside Branch（formerly Yaesu and Tokyo Bayside Branch）in 1999.
And in 1997, the head office (company building) was relocated to
Nishiazabu, Minato-ku, which is still Ken Corporation's head office building
today.
Multificated Management｜Maximizing Corporate
Value
From the 2000s to the early 2010s, Ken Corporation has been
working to
strengthen its optimal group management structure and management capabilities
with the
aim of maximizing corporate value.
Today, the Ken Corporation Group operates its business in four
pillars:
real estate, cultural operations, hotel management, and solar power
generation.
Each of these pillars was established with the desire to
contribute to
solving issues facing modern Japan, such as strengthening Tokyo's international
competitiveness, establishing a tourism-oriented nation, and global climate
conservation.
Cultural Operations
Ken Media Inc. (Formerly Ken Groove Co., Ltd）was established in
2000, and
Shibuya Television Co., Ltd. started the business as Ken Corporation Group in
2001.
The Ken Corporation Group provides valuable opportunities and
experiences
to its customers not only through its real estate business but also through its
cultural
business.
We have also entered the field of beauty. Premier Beauty and SPA,
Ltd.
operates 15 domestic and 2 overseas esthetic salons and beauty schools, and also
sells
its own original brand of beauty products.
Hotel Management
The Ken Corporation Group has owned and operated luxury hotels in
Japan
and abroad since it began hotel co-operation in the U.S. in the 1980s. Ken Real
Estate
Lease Ltd.’s hotel division, Premium Hotel Group, was launched in 2015 to
develop and
operate hotels overseas and in Japan.
Premium Hotel Group currently operates 34 hotels (as of August
2023) under
its umbrella, including world-renowned brands such as Hyatt, Hilton, and
Sheraton, as
well as its own brand, Premium Hotel and Sanraku. Our hotels are uncompromising
in the
quality of service as well as interior and exterior design.
Through the development and operation of hotels, Ken Corporation
Group
will provide unique experience value to our customers and contribute to the
revitalization of local economies and the realization of a tourism-oriented
nation.
Solar Power Generation
Ken Corporation entered the solar power generation business in
2013.
Utilizing know-how cultivated in the real estate business, we are constructing
and
operating our own power plants in Gunma, Tochigi, and Ibaraki prefectures.
Solar power is an environmentally friendly energy source compared
to
fossil fuels and nuclear power. The development of power plants also contributes
to the
creation of employment opportunities by utilizing unused land.
Solar power generation, which promotes environmental conservation
and
contributes to local communities, is positioned as one of Ken Corporation's core
businesses.
Our Challenge | Innovating Customer
Satisfaction
In 2013, Shigeru Sato, the second president, took over Ken's
identity. In
2022, Sato became Chairman of Ken Corporation and Kengo Nakagawa became the
third
president. (Please click here to see messages from the chairman and
president.)
Today, Ken Corporation and its group companies have over 7,000
properties
available for brokerage in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Not only that, we have
many
luxury hotels in Japan and abroad, and also provide high-end real estate
services such
as the development of large-scale commercial facilities, hotels, and urban
redevelopment.
We are a company of trust, Ken. "Trust" is the cornerstone of our
business. We have made social contribution the basis of our management based on
the
belief that "contribution builds trust”.
We will continue to be a company that provides "satisfaction" to
society
under the policy of "customer satisfaction first, profit second.
