Fukunishi Meriyasu was a hosiery manufacturer in Yamato-Takada, Nara Prefecture, founded in 1951 and incorporated in 1961. It made stockings, tights and leggings, mainly as an OEM for major manufacturers, and sales exceeded ¥5.4 billion in the fiscal year ending May 1992.
The market then left it behind. Demand for its products fell, cheap overseas-made goods competed on price, sales declined, losses became a regular feature, and cash flow ran out.
Business stopped on 29 May 2026 and the company planned a self-bankruptcy filing. Combined liabilities of Fukunishi Meriyasu with its affiliates Fukunishi Shoji and Nihon Creviuo exceeded ¥2 billion.
Bankrupt May 2026 with ¥2B liabilities after peak sales of ¥5.4B in 1992, as demand fell and cheap imports dominated.
OEM for others, no name of its own: sewing stockings for major brands paid well in 1992, but left Fukunishi with no brand equity when the orders moved to cheaper factories.
A commodity under price attack: hosiery became an import product, and a Japanese factory could not match overseas labor costs no matter how it cut.
Losses became a habit: demand fell for decades, deficits recurred, and the company kept sewing until cash flow forced the stop in 2026.
OEM made Fukunishi invisible: 75 years of sewing stockings for bigger brands left it no name of its own — when imports won the market, its customers simply switched.
Fukunishi Meriyasu stopped business on 29 May 2026 and planned a self-bankruptcy filing. Combined liabilities with affiliates Fukunishi Shoji and Nihon Creviuo exceeded ¥2 billion. The Yamato-Takada, Nara Prefecture company, founded 1951 and incorporated 1961, made stockings, tights and leggings mainly as OEM for major manufacturers, with sales above ¥5.4 billion in the fiscal year ending May 1992. Demand then weakened and cheap overseas products intensified competition, cutting sales, bringing recurring losses, and squeezing cash flow. Reported 2 June 2026.
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