Our Group traces its origins to 1896, when founder Tsunejiro Sakata opened Sakata Ink Seizosho in Osaka to manufacture and sell newspaper ink. It was Japan’s first company dedicated exclusively to newspaper ink and marked the beginning of today’s Group.

In 1905, the company built a full-scale newspaper ink plant, expanding the foundations of its business. Motoo Sakata, the founder’s son and successor, joined the company in 1910 and championed research and development. He successfully commercialized Japan’s first linseed-oil-based printing varnish. This innovation made a major contribution to the development of Japan’s printing industry and became an important driver of the company’s growth. The company also helped modernize the industry by developing inks for high-speed rotary presses and establishing direct business relationships overseas.

In 1933, the business was incorporated, strengthening its management base. It expanded into stencil duplicator inks and related equipment, broadened its sales channels in Japan and overseas, and diversified its operations. During the war, the company worked to maintain operations despite government controls and shortages of materials. Its head office and factories were severely damaged in the 1945 air raids on Osaka. Even so, reconstruction began immediately after the war, drawing on the technical expertise and pioneering spirit cultivated since the company’s founding.

As Japan's printing industry recovered after World War II, the company actively adopted advanced technologies from the United States and pursued higher-quality printing inks and further innovation.

In 1951, it accelerated the development of resin-based inks, leading to a succession of new products for newspaper and commercial printing and making a significant contribution to improved printing quality in Japan. Recognizing the potential of the growing packaging market, the company introduced inks for corrugated board, paper bags, and film packaging. It also broadened its product range to include electronic components and many other products, while expanding its trading operations.

Further diversification into photographic materials and color film processing opened up additional areas of business. These initiatives flourished during Japan’s period of rapid economic growth, driving steady sales growth. The Group's foundations were further strengthened through the construction of the Osaka Plant, its first modern large-scale production facility, and the listing of its shares on the stock exchange. A relentless commitment to innovation and a bold approach to diversification laid the groundwork for the Group to become the global enterprise it is today.

Motoo Sakata, the company’s second president, brought a global perspective to the business from an early stage. Before World War II, he traveled to Europe to study the industry and actively introduced advanced products and technologies from the United States. The company was also an early mover in international trade, establishing a foundation for expansion into overseas markets.

In the 1980s, it set its sights on a full-scale entry into the United States, the world’s largest printing market, acquiring four companies, including a leading manufacturer of inks for metal cans. These acquisitions established a strong foundation for operations in the Americas.

In Europe, the birthplace of printing culture, the company expanded its presence by establishing a joint venture in Barcelona, Spain, and an ink company serving the metal can market in the United Kingdom.

In Asia, it established its first overseas production base in Taiwan and entered Indonesia, where strong economic growth was anticipated. It subsequently opened locations in India, Vietnam, Thailand, and other countries, expanding across Asia’s fast-growing markets. More recently, the Group has entered South American markets, including Brazil, as well as Eastern Europe, while increasing export sales in the Middle East and Africa.

Today, the Group operates in more than 20 countries and regions, with overseas markets accounting for approximately 80％ of net sales.

The Group has long regarded environmental protection and technological innovation as key management priorities, working to help build a sustainable society and create new value. In the 1970s, when pollution became a major public concern, the company moved quickly to establish an environmental department and promote initiatives to reduce its environmental impact. It advanced the development of environmentally responsible products, shifting corrugated-board inks to water-based formulations and introducing offset inks made with vegetable oils.

It later launched toluene-free gravure inks, helping lead the packaging printing industry’s environmental efforts. More recently, the Botanical Ink series, which uses plant-derived materials, has grown to account for approximately 70％ of the company’s domestic sales of inks for film packaging. The Group also continues to reduce CO₂ emissions and industrial waste, improve production efficiency, and strengthen quality, safety, and environmental management systems at its locations in Japan and around the world.

At the same time, the Group has actively responded to digitalization, expanding its industrial inkjet ink business since the late 1990s. Today, it supplies products to leading printer manufacturers in Japan and overseas, serving a wide range of applications including advertising, textiles, building materials, and packaging.

By applying its long-established expertise in pigment dispersion and resin design, the Group has also expanded into image display materials used in displays and other products. Building on its accumulated technologies, it is now developing new businesses in the electronics and biochemical fields.

Looking ahead, our Group will continue expanding products and services that support the sustainable development of society and industry.