CompaniesIndustry banks on broad information networks, eye for profitable projectsJapanese trading houses have expanded beyond their previous role as trade brokers, shedding the conglomerate discount that other wide-ranging companies face. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Nikkei)KEIICHI FURUKAWA, KENTO HIRASHIMA and YUI SATOAugust 11, 2026 02:00 JSTTOKYO -- Next month will bring a major event for Japan's trading houses: their leaders' first meeting in Japan with Greg Abel, the successor to famed investor Warren Buffett as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.