GM in prewar Japan
GM's early history in the land of Toyota
1915: First Buicks and Cadillacs arrived.
1927: GM opened factory in Osaka.
1928: Shotaro Kamiya joined GM.
1930: Seisi Kato joined GM.
1935: Kamiya, Kato quit GM to join Toyota's predecessor.
1936: Japan enacted law curtailing foreign automakers.
1937: Toyota Motor Co. founded.
1941: War broke out with U.S.; Japan seized GM factory.
General Motors' history in Japan is nearly as long as the company's itself. The first Buicks and Cadillacs arrived in 1915, just seven years after the automaker was founded.
