Viscount Shibusawa was born in Japan in 1840. He studied history and Confucian philosophy. Early in his life, he developed an eye for business and he would later become a pioneering figure in Japanese history. He founded fisheries, railways, printing companies, steamship companies steel plants, gas and electric industries, oil mines and many more. He believed that capitalists should place a strong emphasis on benevolence and placed public interest most and foremost.