TOKYO -- Twelve industry leaders in 36 Japanese corporate sectors tracked by Nikkei fell from their perches over the past five years, making way for contenders that figured out how to skillfully market their goods and services.
One of the biggest upsets occurred in the machinery industry, where Komatsu rose from second place to leapfrog Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at the top. Komatsu's bottom line jumped 31% to 256.4 billion yen ($2.36 billion) in the fiscal year ended March, up roughly 100 billion yen from fiscal 2013. Mitsubishi Heavy, which held the crown that year, has fallen all the way to sixth place in the sector.
