zaikai

[ zahy-kahy ]

noun

1. the financial community of Japan.
2. the elite who dominate the Japanese business world.

Word History and Origins

Origin of zaikai¹

First recorded in 1965–70; from Japanese, equivalent to zai “wealth” + kai “community”; zaibatsu ( def )

Example Sentences

Moreover, the zaikai, the top leaders of Japan's business community, have been pressing Toyota to move some of its manufacturing capacity into the U.S. because they fear retaliation in other industries like electronics.

From Time Magazine Archive