History

The origins of our company started when Riku-un Moto Kaisha was established in 1872 as a national land transport company following the consolidation of several private transport companies. This unified package transport nationwide and resulted in a significant advance in modernizing logistics.

Nippon Express Co., Ltd. was established in 1937. We expanded our transport network throughout the whole of Japan and organically combined each transport method on land, on the sea, and in the air to establish an intermodal transport system.

We started an international air-freight forwarding service in 1957. In 1958, the following year, we opened our very first office in New York and then began to fully expand our business overseas following our entry into the US market in 1962.

We further accelerated the overseas expansion that we had developed since the 1950s, and actively expanded our offices outside of Japan. We continued to grow as a global logistics provider.
Meanwhile, during the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995, we set up an emergency response headquarters to transport emergency supplies from locations within and outside of Japan. During the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, we made full use of our land, sea, and air transport methods to support the transport infrastructure, fulfilling our mission of supporting Japan’s logistics during this large-scale disaster.

Since the beginning of the 1990s, we have been promoting eco-friendly transport through measures such as the use of low-emission vehicles and adopting resource-saving packaging materials. Since the 2010s, we have implemented sustainability management while accelerating the growth of our business in the global market. In 2022, after switching to a holding company structure, we expanded our business through M&A and strategic investment, and made progress in strengthening the provision of end-to-end solutions.