Oji Holdings

Oji Paper Company was founded on February 12, 1873, by industrialist Shibusawa Eiichi as Shoshi Kaisha (抄紙会社). Mills were established in 1875 in the village of Ōji (then a suburb of Tokyo) and in 1889 in Shizuoka. In 1893, Shibusawa renamed the company Oji Paper after the location of its first mill. Earlier, in 1871, William Anderson had traveled to Japan to oversee the construction of the initial paper mill.

In 1933, Oji Paper merged with Fuji Paper and Karafuto Industries, developing into an oligopolistic corporation that produced 80 percent of Japan's Western-style paper.

Following World War II, the Excess Economic Powers Decentralization Act was implemented to prevent anti-competitive activities caused by overconcentration. This law broke the company up into three separate entities: Tomakomai Paper, Jujo Paper, and Honshu Paper.

Tomakomai Paper began as a single-plant operation. However, upon expanding into Kasugai, Aichi, in 1952, the company was renamed Oji Paper Industries, and in 1960, it was renamed Oji Paper again. The company expanded its business by acquiring competitors, including Kita Nippon Paper, Nippon Pulp Industries, and Toyo Pulp.

In 1993, Oji Paper merged with Kanzaki Paper to become New Oji Paper. In 1996, New Oji Paper and Honshu Paper merged to become Oji Paper once again.

In 2012, Oji Paper transitioned to a pure holding company system and started anew under the trade name Oji Holdings Corporation.

New Zealand operations

In September 2024, Oji Fibre Solutions announced the closure of its Auckland pulp and paper recycling mill in mid-December 2024. While the company intended to continue operations at its Kinleith Mill near Tokoroa, it also confirmed it would shift the processing of recycled paper waste from New Zealand to its Malaysian paper mill in Banting. Malaysian environmentalist Lay Peng Pua expressed concern that this increased volume of paper waste would pollute the nearby Langat River.

In mid-November 2024, Oji Fibre Solutions proposed halting paper processing at the Kinleith Mill by 2025, a move affecting 230 jobs. Oji CEO Jon Ryder said that manufacturing paper had become unprofitable, though he noted the mill would continue to produce pulp. The company said it would consult with workers and finalize its decision by mid-January 2025. In mid-February 2025, Oji Fibre Solutions confirmed its plans to halt paper processing operations at Kinleith Mill by the end of June.

Oji Paper produces paper for printing, writing, and packaging. It also manufactures containers made from paper products, chemicals used in paper production, and paper packaging equipment.

The company has 86 production sites throughout Japan, and forestry operations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, New Zealand, and other countries worldwide.