: Pr inc eton ▁University ▁al umn i <0x0A> </s> ▁was ▁a ▁major ▁Japanese ▁general ▁trad ing ▁company ▁head qu arter ed ▁in ▁Os aka . ▁ ▁At aka ▁opened ▁its ▁first ▁US ▁office ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 8 ▁and ▁had ▁ 3 9 ▁over se as ▁offices ▁around ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁World ▁War ▁II ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 5 . ▁Like ▁other ▁Japanese ▁trad ing ▁companies , ▁it ▁emb ark ed ▁on ▁a ▁major ▁over se as ▁business ▁expansion ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 5 0 s ▁with ▁new ▁offices ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States , ▁S out heast ▁Asia ▁and ▁South ▁America . ▁In ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 5 0 s ▁it ▁developed ▁an ▁iron ▁min ing ▁operation ▁in ▁Mal aya ▁and ▁a ▁co pper ▁min ing ▁operation ▁in ▁Chile ▁to ▁meet ▁Japanese ▁consumption ▁needs . ▁ ▁At aka ▁suffered ▁major ▁losses ▁from ▁an ▁oil ▁development ▁project ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁around ▁ 1 9 7 5 , ▁and ▁under w ent ▁extensive ▁business ▁and ▁personnel ▁rest ruct uring ▁at ▁the ▁direction ▁of ▁its ▁main ▁l ender , ▁Sum it omo ▁Bank . ▁As ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁this ▁rest ruct uring , ▁its ▁prof itable ▁iron ▁and ▁steel ▁trad ing ▁operation ▁merged ▁into ▁C . ▁I to h ▁& ▁Co . ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 7 . ▁Sum it omo ▁lost ▁nearly ▁$ 1 ▁billion ▁in ▁the ▁At aka ▁rest ruct uring , ▁but ▁claimed ▁that ▁a ▁complete ▁collapse ▁of ▁At aka ▁could ▁have ▁major ▁re per cuss