Fuji Enterprise (Part 4) : Second half of 1976

Still in 1976 with Fuji Enterprise (フジエンタープライズ). We had stopped halfway through the year. The company is still triumphant and ambitious, but we are nearing the tipping point.

At the end of the previous article, I had mentioned two events that heralded some changes:
① Takeo Ueyama (上山武夫) resigned from the presidency of Fuji Enterprise.
② Fuji Enterprise began promoting games from the company Kansai Kigyô.

The timing of these two events may not be a coincidence. It signals the creation of a probable satellite company of Fuji Enterprise. Let’s explore further.

① Leadership change at Fuji Enterprise

The Fuji Enterprise group made an announcement in Game Machine (May 15, 1976 issue, page 2):

"We regret to inform you that our president, Mr. Takeo Ueyama, resigned and retired on April 20 due to personal circumstances. He will no longer be associated with the company in any way, and we thank you for your understanding."

 

Still in Game Machine (June 1, 1976 issue, page 2), we learn that Takeo Ueyama's replacement is someone named Yoshimitsu Suzuki (鈴木芳光).
As for the chairman, there is no change. It remains Tokuzô Uragami (浦上徳三).

Although it is stated that Takeo Ueyama is no longer affiliated with Fuji Enterprise, we’ll soon see that this is not entirely true.

② What is Kansai Kigyô?

Kansai Kigyô (関西企業) is a group founded in Osaka in June 1973, led by president Tetsushi Matsumoto (松元哲士).

Like Fuji Enterprise, Kansai Kigyô produces lottery/derby-style games. Not massive machines like Fuji Harness Deluxe, and no video games yet either. But they do release many small-scale games similar in spirit to Mini Derby or Sounder Boy.

Also like Fuji Enterprise, Kansai Kigyô frequently modifies its games and re-releases them under slightly different names, making it somewhat difficult to track their product evolution.

The manufacturing of these games is outsourced to various subcontractors such as Sharp (シャープ), Funai Denki (船井電機), and most often Osada Denki (長田電気). However, the designs are done in-house.

The group’s sales agency is called Taitô (泰東) (unrelated to the famous game maker Taito). Kansai Kigyô has no branches outside the Kansai region and must rely on other companies to distribute its games across the rest of Japan.

Here, Fuji Enterprise is advertising Rotary Junior Bonus (ロータリージュニアボーナス), Lancelot (ランスロット), and New Rotary Pulse (ニューロータリーパルス).

A new company linked to Fuji Enterprise is about to take over the distribution of Kansai Kigyô’s games: RJ Corporation.

RJ Corporation

In the Game Machine issue of July 1, 1976 (page 6), the first advertisement for a new company called RJ Corporation (アールジェイコーポレーション) appears. 

Takeo Ueyama himself presents it:

"I am pleased to announce that I have been appointed representative director of the new company with the kind permission of Tokuzô Uragami (浦上徳三), president of Fuji Enterprise, Mimoji Tsumura (津村三百次), president of Tsumura, and Tetsushi Matsumoto (松元哲士), president of Kansai Kigyô."

Although this announcement is dated July, RJ Corporation was actually founded around late April or early May (May 15, 1976 issue, page 2), just after Takeo Ueyama resigned from the presidency of Fuji Enterprise.

While RJ is officially an independent incorporated company (株式会社), this announcement makes it clear that it relies heavily on the support of the three sponsoring companies—especially Fuji Enterprise. Takeo Ueyama gives the impression of being on an external assignment for Fuji Enterprise.

To keep things clear, I suggest telling the story of RJ Corporation from its creation to its disappearance (April/May to October 1976).
After that, we’ll go back and continue the story of Fuji Enterprise as usual.

RJ Corporation's History

At its founding, and in its first announcement, RJ Corporation consisted of only a Tôkyô branch (in Shinjuku). In a later advertisement (August 1, 1976, page 7), the company is made up of three entities: the same Tôkyô branch, a branch in Ôsaka, and Taitô, the sales agency of Kansai Kigyô.

Taitô’s inclusion within the RJ Corporation group suggests that RJ Corporation’s activity consists of selling games produced by Kansai Kigyô, which the following will confirm.

In RJ Corporation’s first advertisement, the games featured are Rotary Junior Bonus (ロータリージュニアボーナス), Rotary Bonus Jumbo (ロータリーボーナスジャンボ), and Rotary Deluxe (ロータリーデラックス).

Video Race Perfect, a Fuji Enterprise game, was also presented. However, in the next advertisement (July 15, 1976 issue, page 7), a small note at the bottom reads:

"The Video Race advertised in the last issue is manufactured by Fuji Enterprise. Just so you know..."

Apparently, promoting a Fuji Enterprise game was a misstep. This did not happen again. Aside from Video Race, RJ Corporation appears linked only to Kansai Kigyô’s games.

For instance, in this RJ Corporation ad (August 15, 1976 issue, page 7), the name Kansai Kigyô is displayed prominently and repeatedly.

That said, there is one game with somewhat unclear origins:

Rotary Falls

Rotary Falls (ロータリーフォール) first appears in an RJ Corporation advertisement in July 1976. It is relatively large—120 cm high—and can accommodate up to 6 players simultaneously.

The vast majority of Kansai Kigyô’s games are named in the style of "Rotary XXXX" and are lottery/derby-type games. This one does include "Rotary" in the name, but also "Falls," a reference to Sigma’s Penny Falls. This name highlights the fact that there are two ways to win in this game.

First, the player slides tokens down a ramp, aiming to land them on one of six continuously rotating arms. If a token lands on an arm and triggers it, the player wins between 5 and 20 tokens. If the token misses and falls, it joins the mass of tokens piling up near the edge at the bottom of the machine. The game then continues like Penny Falls: if the dropped token pushes other tokens over the edge, everything that falls is won by the player.

Rotary Falls is therefore a hybrid between a skill-based game and a money-pusher.

Notably, the success rate for the skill portion can be configured between 0 and 100%. This means that a somewhat greedy operator could set the machine to 0%, making it impossible for any player to win by activating the arms, regardless of their skill.

In the end, Rotary Falls is quite different from Kansai Kigyô’s usual lineup, and its logo doesn’t appear anywhere on the cabinet. This makes the attribution somewhat ambiguous.

However, I credit the game to Kansai Kigyô because it was sold by RJ Corporation and includes the word “Rotary” in the name.

NMF in Tsumura

During its short existence, RJ Corporation participated in only one major event.

"NMF in Tsumura" stands for 'New Type Machine Fair in Tsumura'. It was a trade show organized by Tsumura (ツムラ). The first—and also the last—edition took place on August 1–2, 1976.

The fair was primarily intended for distributors, but game manufacturers could also have booths there, such as Nintendo or, of course, Fuji Enterprise, Tsumura’s long-standing partner. Kansai Kigyô did not have a booth—but no worries, RJ Corporation had one.

In the photo, RJ Corporation’s booth doesn’t appear to be fully set up yet. However, two machines can be identified:

The first is, of course, Rotary Falls.

Identifying the second machine is trickier, but it seems to be Rotary Deluxe (or a close variant), definitely from Kansai Kigyô. The cabinet lid is open.

As for the smiling man in the picture—I’d like to believe that it might be Takeo Ueyama, the president of RJ Corporation.

Takeo Ueyama ?

The End?

RJ Corporation thus began participating in professional events. The company also joined the JAA (Japan Amusement Association) around the same time (August 15, 1976 issue, page 2). So, it can be said that it became a full-fledged member of the industry.

But the company’s foundations seem fragile.

Takeo Ueyama (上山武夫) left RJ Corporation on August 25, 1976, to become independent. RJ Corporation took almost two months to announce this departure (October 15, 1976 issue, page 11).
Two weeks after announcing Ueyama’s departure, RJ Corporation dismissed Masayuki Miyazaki (宮崎誠之), presumably the new president, on October 30, 1976.
This announcement (November 15, 1976 issue, page 2) is the last sign of life from RJ Corporation and likely marks the end of its existence.

Kansai Kigyô announced (December 1, 1976 issue, page 2) the creation of a Tokyo branch on November 15, 1976. The president of this branch is Hiroshi Kagaya (加賀谷寛), who until then was president of Taitô (泰東).

It seems Kansai Kigyô decided to take direct control over the national distribution of its games. Thus, the existence of RJ Corporation was no longer justified.

Or maybe it’s the other way around? Did RJ Corporation’s failure push Kansai Kigyô to handle its own national distribution?

In any case, one consequence is that the shadow of Fuji Enterprise would never again loom over Kansai Kigyô.

Back to Fuji Enterprise

Let’s go back to where we left Fuji Enterprise: June 1976.

A new adress for Fuji Lease

First, a minor detail: Fuji Lease (the group’s company operating game centers), whose address was in Shibuya, moved its headquarters to the Takazawa Building in Shinjuku. The offices of Fuji Lease and Fuji Enterprise were now consolidated at the same address. This probably happened in June, possibly May (July 1, 1976).

Video Race

The biggest news from Fuji Enterprise was the release of Video Race.

Video Race (ビデオレース), also known as Video Race Perfect (ビデオレースパーフェクト) and VTR Race (VTRレース), was first introduced in Game Machine in June 1976 (June 15, 1976 issue, page 2).
It took over the concept of Fuji Harness Deluxe (or rather Sega’s Harness Race). However, instead of miniature horses running around a track in the center, the race was shown on a video screen. In fact, even more than Harness Race, it was Nintendo’s EVR Race that “inspired” Video Race. 

The designs of the two machines are identical, but EVR Race was released in fall 1975, well before Fuji Enterprise’s version.

Still, there is one major difference: the video footage in the two games is completely different. EVR Race shows animations.

On the other hand, Video Race broadcasts real horse race footage. Here is what the article in Game Machine says:

"This machine closely resembles the so-called EVR Race and is a ten-player medal derby game titled Video Race. Its most distinctive feature is the large color TV screen that plays actual recorded footage of horse races.

According to company chairman Tokuzō Uragami, the video footage was filmed on location in Hokkaidō, using around one hundred famous racehorses from past years. For this endeavor, they received assistance from none other than Kenji Osano (小佐野賢治), a prominent figure associated with the Lockheed scandal.

The production took considerable time and incurred high costs. However, Uragami explained that if they were going to make the game, they were determined to create something operators would genuinely appreciate—in other words, a fully polished and complete product.

To strengthen both the technical and production aspects, Fuji enlisted the cooperation of Sony, TEAC Video, and Fuji’s own in-house engineering team. As a result, the final product was not only high in quality but also designed from the ground up with arcade operators in mind, incorporating every possible feature that would ensure satisfaction once installed in game centers."

Video Race seems to have been a major project, even for a company like Fuji Enterprise.

Video Race had an attract mode, meaning that when no player was present, the screen would turn off and music would play instead. Indeed, the films containing the images in EVR-type games were notoriously fragile. Limiting the video display to only when necessary helped extend the machine’s lifespan.

Advertisements mention electricity consumption separately per dispenser and also "in the case where there are 5 dispensers (for 10 players)." This means that it was possible to buy the main unit (Video Race) and add as many dispensers as desired (each dispenser for two players).

It seems that the name Video Race "Perfect" refers to Video Race with 5 dispensers for 10 players. Technically, as long as you add dispensers, there is no limit to the number of players.

In this photo taken at Casino Mint (カジノミント) in Umeda (Osaka), isn’t there room for 14 players?

Another Official reseller

The list of official reseller for Fuji Enterprise products grew with Shure Lease (シュアーリース). This company, newly founded in July 1976, did not stay long on the list, as we will see later. Its president was Takashi Matsui (松井隆). After collaborating with Fuji Enterprise, Shure Lease became an active distributor of arcade games for many manufacturers.

By early 1979 (or perhaps slightly earlier?), Shure Lease became one of the main sellers of video games from Shin Nihon Kikaku (新日本企画), the future SNK. The company went bankrupt on October 4, 1979, with debts around 200 million yen, dragged down by the failure of another company.

Another new machine, But...

Another new machine, but it is not a game. Riding the recent popularity of karaoke, Fuji Enterprise released its own model called the MP-8.

This might seem surprising, but Fuji Enterprise was far from the only company in the sector selling karaoke machines.

Moreover, we recall that Blondie had already sold a small jukebox a few years earlier.

NMF in Tsumura

Fuji Enterprise also took part in the fair of its partner Tsumura on August 1 and 2, 1976.

We know the strong ties between Fuji Enterprise and Tsumura, but nowhere is it mentioned that Fuji Enterprise helped organize the NMF in Tsumura. Officially, Fuji Enterprise was just an exhibitor.

Honestly, the photos of the Fuji Enterprise booth are blurry. It is hard to make out anything clearly. There is no text in the articles naming or describing the games. However, Fuji Speed Race (I think), Kamikaze (upright version), and Jet can be glimpsed. These are games we have already presented.

There are also new machines.

Kamikaze (Compact Version)

Until now, Kamikaze was known in its upright version. Here we find the same game, this time in the same cabinet as Fuji Speed Race. Unlike Fuji Speed Race, there is no pedal and no steering wheel. The plane is controlled with a joystick. The speed is adjusted using a throttle lever. The upright version had no throttle lever but three buttons to select the speed.

Fuji Enterprise’s CEO, Tokuzô Uragami, previously said that Kamikaze was very successful, including abroad. Re-releasing Kamikaze in a new version confirms this success.

If Kamikaze is reissued in a cabinet of an already existing and barely modified format, it is probably to limit some costs.

Boat Race

After Keirin Setto, Boat Race (ボートレース) is a new remake of Fuji Harness Deluxe. The mechanics and gameplay principles remain fundamentally the same, but the setting is now a boat race. Boat Race could be sold either as a conversion kit for Harness Deluxe or directly as a complete game.

?

There is this machine I marked with a “?” in the photos. It is unidentified. Unfortunately, the photos do not tell us much, except that its shape is different and more compact than Kamikaze and Speed Race. Could the mini form of Jet exist?

More Internal Changes

Fuji Enterprise underwent some internal changes. In October 1976 (source, page 7), we learn that the president of Fuji Enterprise was Masateru Yamada (山田昌照) (the first name might also be read as Masaaki). He replaced Yoshimitsu Suzuki (鈴木芳光) sometime between July and September 1976.

Yoshimitsu Suzuki therefore ended up being a sort of interim president for about four months. However, he remained part of the company. Notably, Fuji Enterprise made no public announcement about this change. Perhaps the company feared that too many leadership changes would be seen as a sign of instability?

Several games were released just before (or possibly during) the AM Show '76 (October 7–9, 1976).

Fuji Televi-Five

Fuji Televi-Five (フジ・テレビファイブ) was released around September 1976.

It’s a small device meant to be plugged into a regular home television. The screen itself is not included. The machine allows players to play five variations of Pong:

• Squash A (スカッシュA): 1 player uses a paddle to bounce the ball off a wall.
• Squash B (スカッシュB): 2 players, each with a paddle, bounce a ball off a wall.
• Soccer (サッカー): 2 players, each with two paddles, rally the ball.
• Tennis (テニス): the standard version of Pong — 2 players with one paddle each rally the ball.
• Rifle (ライフル): not entirely certain about this one, but it appears to be a shooting game with moving targets.

Notably, operators — whether unscrupulous or simply attentive — could adjust the paddle length, shot angle, and ball speed to make the game more or less difficult.

According to the advertisement, Fuji Televi-Five was intended for casino corners (casino-style areas in some retail stores), tourist hotels, snack bars, regular bars, health centers, and more — so Fuji Enterprise was clearly aiming for a broad market.

Fuji Raceway Deluxe

Fuji Raceway Deluxe (フジ・レースウェ・デラックス) is the direct sequel to Fuji Speed Race. The advertisement mentions that the road widens and narrows during the race, and there are slippery zones on the track — features already seen in Taito's Speed Race DX, which had come out a year earlier 

Note that Speed Race DX only existed in an upright version, while Fuji Raceway Deluxe used a cabinet of the same shape as Speed Race and Kamikaze II. Once again, this was probably a cost-cutting measure by Fuji Enterprise.

Also noteworthy is that this time, Fuji Enterprise had the good sense to change the name of the game — perhaps marking the end of blatant copycatting?

Fuji Electro Derby

Fuji Electro Derby (フジ・エレクトロ・ダービー) is a reworking of Video Race. The principle and gameplay are still the same. The video footage used in the game is identical to that in Video Race.

Fuji Electro Derby could be sold as a single-player version called Fuji Terevirace Personal Type (フジ・テレビレース・パーソナルタイプ). In doing so, Fuji Enterprise continued following in Nintendo’s footsteps, as Nintendo had already released EVR Personal Type.

To this “Personal Type” version, you could add as many dispensers as desired, each allowing for two players.

What really changed between Video Race and Electro Derby? Not much.

The cabinet’s design was different, and it appears there was no attract mode. Instead, the advertisement claimed that you could switch from Fuji Electro Derby to regular TV channels using the remote control — even during a game.
It also mentioned that players could eat and drink on the machine without risk.

In the end, Video Race seemed to be aimed at game centers, while Fuji Electro Derby was targeted more at bars or restaurants.

It’s also worth noting that Fuji Enterprise didn’t seem to have great confidence in the game’s durability: Fuji Electro Derby came with just a 2-month warranty.

The AM Show ’76 (October 7–9, 1976)

As in previous years, the AM Show was a must-attend event for professionals in the sector. It was once again organized by the Japan Amusement Association (JAA). This year, the JAA began to push for a more ethical industry and aimed to combat gambling games and so-called G-machines (arcade machines that could easily be converted into gambling devices).

The new criteria (announced as early as July 1976 – source, page 1) that could prevent a game from being exhibited at the AM Show were as follows:

• Lack of certification for electrical equipment (absence of a "Type Approval Number" or TAN)
• The machine is a copy of another without any added value
• The game includes indecent or socially unacceptable images or sounds
• The machine accepts cash payments
• Tabletop-format games
• Wall-mounted slot machines that pay out money, or machines that can easily be converted into such

The restriction on tabletop-format games is a bit surprising, but it seems these machines were initially associated with G-machines.

In any case, Fuji Enterprise once again participated in the AM Show from October 7 to 9, 1976. And once again, Fuji Enterprise and Tsumura shared a booth.

Here are the games announced (source, page 9) as being exhibited by Fuji Enterprise/Tsumura at this AM Show:

• Fuji Televi Race Perfect (フジ・テレビレース・パーフェクト)
• Fuji Terevirace Personal Type (フジ・テレビレース・パーソナルタイプ)
• Fuji Boat Race (フジ・ボートレース)
• Fuji Raceway Deluxe (フジ・レースウェイ・デラックス)
• Fuji Televi Five (フジ・テレビ・ファイブ)
• One (or more?) tabletop video game(s)
• A karaoke machine
• Challenge Boy (チャレンジボーイ)
• Miracle Table Race (ミラクルテーブルレース)

Most of these games have already been discussed. The announcement of a “tabletop video game” appears to be an unfortunate move that goes against the AM Show’s new rules.

As for Challenge Boy, I have no idea what it could be — or even if it was ever actually marketed. Could it be a game published by Tsumura? Judging by the name, it could be one of those arcade games designed to look like a pachinko machine.

In the end, the show report (source, page 9) only mentions two games that were actually shown at the booth: Boat Race and Electro Derby.

Strangely Similar Games

I'd like to backtrack a little to touch on a somewhat murky issue. We've seen that some games were outrageously similar to titles sold by other companies. Sometimes, the similarity is a matter of interpretation. Other times, it's blatant. Let’s take the following examples:

• Sounder Boy / Wander Boy (Pavco)
• Fuji Harness Deluxe / Harness Race (Sega)
• Fuji Speed Race / Speed Race (Taito)
• Video Race / EVR Race (Nintendo)
• Fuji Raceway Deluxe / Speed Race Deluxe (Taito)

These games are so similar that they can fairly be described as copies. The makers of the original games were surely aware that their titles had been cloned. And yet, there were no official announcements, no cease-and-desist orders, no settlements — at least nothing made public.

So let’s consider a few hypotheses:

① There may have been a prior agreement between Fuji Enterprise and the original manufacturers. Licensing agreements between Japanese companies became more common during the Space Invaders boom, but such deals could have existed before that. Typically, these agreements involve paying a percentage of revenue to the original developer.

② There may have been a later settlement. The original manufacturer notices a competitor is making identical games. If an agreement is reached, the copying company pays a one-time sum in damages. If not, it ends up in court. Again, Space Invaders led to both settlements and lawsuits.

③ The original manufacturer notices the copying but chooses to do nothing. The expected benefit of legal action may not outweigh the hassle — especially considering that the president of Fuji Enterprise was (or had been) a prominent member of a yakuza group. Suing Fuji Enterprise might have led to complicated — even dangerous — situations.

I’ll also add that whatever may have happened behind the scenes, Sega clearly didn’t hold a grudge. Fuji Enterprise listed Sega as one of its main business partners by the end of 1977 (source, page 138).

Major Changes?

It’s the end of 1976. We now come to an important but complex point — and one that’s open to interpretation.
There was no specific announcement, so one might assume that Fuji Enterprise was simply continuing business as usual.
However, several events suggest the beginning of a new era:

The End of RJ Corporation

It’s unclear whether this was a cause or a consequence of Fuji Enterprise’s difficulties. But Fuji Enterprise lost all influence over Kansai Kigyô.

Another Move

Fuji Enterprise and Fuji Lease had been sharing the same address in the Takazawa Building for barely six months. On November 10, 1976, both companies moved. The official reason given for the move was that the Takazawa Building “suffered from too much traffic congestion and had a small parking lot.”
Fuji Enterprise's new address was: 東京都大田区南千束二の一の六 (6-1-2 Minami-Senzoku, Ōta-ku, Tōkyō-to).
Fuji Lease's address was: 東京都大田区東雪谷一の一の五 (5-1-1 Higashi-Yukigaya, Ōta-ku, Tōkyō-to).
These are technically two different addresses, but in reality, they face each other across the street. These properties probably already belonged to the group before they were designated as headquarters. The building where Fuji Lease moved is still known today as the Blondie Building.
In the end, the group left the Takazawa Building not for something bigger, but to refocus around smaller buildings they already owned.

The End of the Official Reseller Network

Advertisements from the second half of 1976 no longer mentioned Fuji Enterprise’s official product resellers. They only referred to Fuji Enterprise, its Hokkaidô branch, and Fuji Lease.

These other companies still existed, so why were they no longer named? Perhaps Fuji Enterprise wanted to streamline its messaging. Or maybe those companies had ceased doing business with them.

It’s also possible that Fuji Enterprise no longer found the reseller network worthwhile and preferred to control its distribution directly. (But then again — to have a reseller network, you need products to sell, don’t you?)

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Symptoms of a Company in Decline

From 1977 onward, Fuji Enterprise will be a dying company — almost nonexistent. We know that for several reasons :

The End of the Relationship with Tsumura

Although the exact nature of their partnership was unclear, Fuji Enterprise and Tsumura had been constantly associated in one way or another for several years. 

That relationship suddenly broke off after AM Show ’76. They never again shared a booth. Fuji Enterprise’s name never again appeared in a Tsumura advertisement. The two companies were never again linked in any way.

It’s possible that Tsumura used Fuji Enterprise’s difficulties as an opportunity to settle an old debt or sever ties. Tsumura then turned its attention to other partners, such as Nintendo.
Even before, Tsumura had a peculiar habit of sometimes advertising Video Race, and sometimes EVR Race. From this point on, Nintendo’s games would feature more and more prominently in Tsumura’s ads.

Fuji Enterprise Disappears from Game Machine Magazine

Fuji Enterprise’s presence became ghost-like.

No More Original Games

This is debatable, but in any case, the days of constant new game releases were clearly over.

Fuji Lease Loses Game Centers

Some of its game centers started being managed by other companies.

I won’t go into detail on these points just yet. That will come in the next article.

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A bankrupt ?

So, there is a clear before and after. But after what, exactly?
What event brought Fuji Enterprise to its knees?

The answer might lie in the book Jaleco’s Archives (ジャレコ・アーカイブズ).
Fuji Enterprise is mentioned explicitly only once in the entire book. Here’s the quote:

"After Fuji Enterprise went bankrupt around 1977, Japan Leisure bought the company. The Shōei company (ショウエイ), which had been developing video games for Fuji Enterprise, then began developing them for Japan Leisure."

Fuji Enterprise did not officially go bankrupt in 1977, but rather in 1979.

However, given that the company’s difficulties began in late 1976/early 1977, I believe it may have effectively gone bankrupt at the end of 1976.

Or, even if it wasn’t officially bankrupt, it may have faced such severe difficulties that it had to sell itself to another company — Japan Leisure.

Fuji Enterprise still existed in 1977, but was a mere shadow of its former self.
My hypothesis is that Japan Leisure bought Fuji Enterprise’s production assets (notably a company called T.E.U. Shōji / テイユー商事 — which I’ll discuss another time) and left out the companies in its sales network.

Quite the turnaround, considering that just a few years earlier, Japan Leisure had been struggling for survival and drowning in debt — particularly debt owed to Fuji Enterprise.

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Anatomy of a Breakdown

We still need to discuss the reasons behind this hypothetical bankruptcy. Of course, we’re once again left with making educated guesses.

Bankruptcy of a Business Partner?

This is THE classic scenario in the arcade industry. Two companies sign a commercial contract. Costs are incurred on both sides to launch production of a machine, for example. One company goes bankrupt and can’t honor the contract—either it can’t deliver the product, or it can’t pay for the purchase. The partner then becomes indebted and gets dragged down as well. A bankruptcy can then trigger a cascading series of bankruptcies.

This is a plausible hypothesis, but I cannot name any business partner of Fuji Enterprise that went bankrupt at that time.

Legal Disputes with Competitors?

As mentioned earlier, Fuji Enterprise’s habit of releasing games identical to those of competitors could have backfired. Fuji Enterprise wasn’t a small player, but a company like Sega might have stood its ground and demanded financial compensation.

A few years later, Sega dealt harsh blows to skilled bootleggers like Jackson, Falcon, Orca, etc., to the point that some of them later went to work for Sega.

Indirect Victim of the Lockheed Scandal?

Tokuzô Uragami, chairman of Fuji Enterprise, mentioned that the development of Video Race owed a lot to Kenji Osano. Kenji Osano is one of those key Japanese figures who act as a bridge between business circles, politics, the underworld, and sometimes the police.

Osano was implicated in the Lockheed scandal starting early 1976—right in the middle of Video Race’s development, a very important project for Fuji Enterprise.

While I said I didn’t know of any business partner going bankrupt in 1976, Kenji Osano lost a lot that year.

It’s hard to know how deeply involved he was with Fuji Enterprise, but the Lockheed scandal may have indirectly caused severe financial consequences for the company.

Too Many Investments?

Fuji Enterprise had been very active recently, but that doesn’t mean they got a good return on investment.

For example, the RJ Corporation venture ended in failure. We don’t know how much Fuji Enterprise was committed to creating that company, or whether they invested significant funds.

Another hot topic is the development of Video Race. Tokuzô Uragami mentioned that development was costly and delayed.

Under these circumstances, it’s easy to imagine how difficult it must have been to recoup that investment. Fuji Enterprise consistently highlighted this product in every advertisement to try to make it profitable. The game was even revamped to give it a second life.

So one can imagine the strategic importance of this game for Fuji Enterprise and the economic consequences of its failure.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, we’re left with many conjectures about the end of 1976 to try to understand what’s happening to Fuji Enterprise and why.

One certainty remains: Fuji Enterprise is in trouble.

In the next article, we’ll see how this manifests. We’ll also look at whether the company managed to respond, and if so, how.

We will also introduce new players: partner companies and rival firms.

Fuji Enterprise (Part 3) : First half of 1976

Fuji Enterprise ended 1975 under the best possible conditions.

On average, a new arcade game was being released every month. The company regularly published full-page advertisements in every issue of Game Machine magazine, and on top of that, Tsumura also advertised Fuji Enterprise’s products. 

Meanwhile, Fuji Lease continued opening game centers across the country.

It goes without saying that the Fuji Enterprise group had very little to worry about at the start of 1976.

The most important information at the beginning of 1976 is that Fuji Enterprise continued its policy of rapidly launching new games. Let’s look at the first one.

Trot Boy

Trot Boy

Trot Boy appeared in an advertisement in January 1976.¹ It directly followed in the footsteps of the previous year’s games.

You select two numbers. The lights cycle through the tiles; if they stop on the right ones, you win.

The machine’s design is quite similar to that of Harness Darby or International Dreifach, for example. The advertisement doesn’t bother explaining what makes this game different from previous titles.

Stepping into a New Frontier

So while this wasn’t the end of lottery/derby-style games—those responsible for Fuji Enterprise’s success—they were no longer small wall-mounted games like Sounder Boy, Sounder Stop, etc.

However, 1976 was the year Fuji Enterprise ventured into a type of game that was beginning to make its mark on the arcade industry: the video game.

It all began at the Amusement Trade Exhibition (ATE) in London during the last week of January 1976.

Only European companies were allowed to have booths at the show, which excluded American and Japanese companies from exhibiting directly. However, British company Alca Electronics (based in Oldham, England) invited several non-European companies to showcase their games at its booth. Among them were Sega (a Japanese company) and Fuji Enterprise. 

Tokuzô Uragami, chairman of Fuji Enterprise, and R.W Stuart (Alca Electronics)
https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19760315p
(An erratum was published in the following issue to correct the photo caption.)

This was the first time—and the last time, but that’s another story—Fuji Enterprise exhibited overseas.

On that occasion, Fuji Enterprise showcased two games:

Fuji Speed Race

Fuji Speed Race (フジ・スピードレース) is a complete copy of Taito’s Speed Race. The game and cabinet are identical (with perhaps only the steering wheel being different?).

Fuji Speed Race

Speed Race (Taito)

Vehicle speed is controlled with the pedal, and steering with the wheel. In Speed Race, you control a race car in a top-down view while the track scrolls vertically. The goal is to travel as far as possible within a set time, avoiding collisions with other cars along the way. Players can gain additional time by reaching certain checkpoints. Taito originally released Speed Race in 1974.

If we ignore all the Pong clones, Fuji Speed Race might very well be Japan’s first video game bootleg. It’s surprising that Fuji Enterprise chose to copy Speed Race rather than Speed Race DX. The improved Speed Race DX had already been released by Taito in mid-1975.

Kamikaze (upright)

Kamikaze (神風) is clearly heavily inspired by Avenger from Electra Games. Electra Games was an American company based in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.

So first, let’s talk a bit about Avenger for a better understanding.

Avenger (Electra Games)

In Avenger, you control a jet fighter from a top-down perspective as the screen scrolls vertically. Enemy planes fly from top to bottom, one after another.

You control your plane with a joystick, tilting left or right to move, and pushing forwards or backwards to increase or decrease speed. The fire button is on top of the joystick, while an "afterburner" button next to the joystick triggers a sudden speed boost.

The objective is to achieve the highest possible score within a set time limit. Shooting down enemy planes awards more or fewer points depending on your speed. Reaching certain score thresholds grants additional time.

Taking a step back, Avenger could be seen as Speed Race with the added ability to shoot, right?

                                                            Avenger (Electra Games)

    

Fuji Enterprise’s Kamikaze also features aerial combat, but this time you face off against Japanese Zero fighters from WWII. The gameplay is the same as Avenger with one major change: the joystick only moves the plane left or right and fires—there’s no speed control using the stick itself. Instead of the “afterburner” button, there are three buttons to choose your speed.

Kamikaze (upright version)

In the flyer’s picture, the cabinet is clearly turned off and a tinted screen with stickers has been placed over the display (you can see shadows), making it difficult to identify the game’s actual graphics.

What’s clear is that Kamikaze takes the concept and gameplay of Avenger, but does not copy its hardware or its cabinet. Onionsoftware, who owns a Kamikaze cabinet, confirmed on X that it’s not a direct bootleg of Avenger.

What we do know for sure is that Kamikaze sold well. According to Fuji Enterprise chairman Tokuzō Uragami:

“This seems to be because the news about the Maeno suicide plane crashing into Kodama’s residence became a top story overseas. Orders from abroad come in with people repeatedly saying 'Kamikaze, Kamikaze' as the product name, suggesting that this kind of 'kamikaze spirit' is attracting considerable attention.”

(Source – Game Machine, June 15, 1976, page 2)

It’s also worth noting that Kamikaze was initially only released in an upright cabinet. Another version in a much more familiar-shaped cabinet would be released in the second half of 1976.

From Chicago...

Avenger was first showcased by Electra Games at the MOA Expo '75 in Chicago, held from October 17 to 19, 1975. 

Cash Box magazine - October 1975
https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1975/CB-1975-10-18.pdf
(page 89)

Taito obtained the rights and has been selling Avenger in Japan since early 1976. Fuji Enterprise didn’t waste any time, as Kamikaze was released at the same time (or perhaps even slightly before?) as Taito’s version of Avenger².

What might have happened is that someone from Fuji Enterprise attended the MOA Expo and was impressed by Avenger, but naturally couldn’t know the hardware inside the machine. So, Fuji Enterprise copied the idea and gameplay of the game, but the hardware design was “made in Japan.”³ This hypothesis is even more plausible considering that just a few months later, Fuji Enterprise released another game inspired by a title first shown at the MOA Expo '75 (we’ll talk about that in a few paragraphs — it’s Jet Fighter).

...To London

Since we talked about the ATE '76 in London, there are several interesting pieces of information that came out during the show:

1. Fuji Enterprise signed a contract with Australian company Leisure and Allied Industries. Leisure and Allied Industries would handle the overseas distribution of Fuji Enterprise products. Based on the flyers I’ve seen, this likely concerned Fuji Speed Race and Kamikaze. But there might have been more games involved.

Cash Box - March 1976
https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1976/Cash-Box-1976-03-13.pdf

2. Fuji Enterprise created a department dedicated to exports and began selling its games overseas starting in November 1975.⁴

Isn’t that just a few days after the MOA Expo in Chicago...? Fuji Enterprise hadn’t released any video games yet, right? So it seems they must have started by exporting electromechanical games, right? 

As for who the overseas clients were, that remains a mystery. Leisure and Allied Industries? An American company? Personally, I suspect Alca Electronics, since Fuji Enterprise exhibited at their booth — a strong clue. I also suspect a Spanish company. I’ll probably cover that in the next year article.

Play Meter - March 1976
https://archive.org/details/play-meter-volume-2-number-3-march-1976/Play%20Meter%20-%20Volume%202%2C%20Number%203%20-%20March%201976

3. The Game Machine article says the following:

“Fuji Enterprise, in particular, has been actively promoting titles like Kamikaze for overseas markets, and over the past few months, they’ve gained considerable confidence. Their main sales destinations are the United States and Australia”

So, was Fuji Enterprise already selling Kamikaze abroad by late 1975? It seems unlikely, but not impossible. My personal opinion is that Fuji Enterprise was able to sell Fuji Speed Race overseas as early as 1975, which gave them a head start when they produced Kamikaze, a game with a fairly similar game design.

That’s a lot of information, but the takeaway is that the early days of Fuji Enterprise in the video game industry are far from clear. One or two key pieces of the puzzle are still missing to fully understand how events unfolded.

So, shall we continue?

More and more games

Let’s take a look at the games released through mid-1976.

Keirin Setto 

Keirin Setto (競輪セット) first appeared in an advertisement in March 1976.

Keirin Setto

Do you remember Fuji Harness Deluxe, the horse-racing game heavily inspired by (or outright copied from) Sega’s Harness Race? Keirin Setto isn’t really a game in itself, but rather a conversion kit for Fuji Harness Race. The advertisement mentions that this kit can also be used to convert “harness games from other companies.”

The game’s theme is changed: instead of horse racing, it’s keirin, a type of cycle racing. While largely unknown in the West, keirin is very popular in Japan, and like horse racing, it generates huge sums of money through betting.

Keirin Setto involves placing stickers over the original background and swapping the horse figures for animated cyclists. The cyclists’ legs move as they race.

Miracle Table Race 

Miracle Table Race (ミラクルテーブルレース) appeared in an advertisement for the first time in April 1976.

Miracle Table Race

It’s a small lottery/derby-style game, designed to sit on countertops — typically in bars, as suggested by the beer placed next to the machine in the promotional photo.

The machine contains no integrated circuits, and there are no complicated rules or extra features.

Insert a token, choose your bet using a button, press start, cross your fingers — and that’s it.

May 1976 was a prolific month in terms of new releases.

Game Machine - May 1976
https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19760515p

Token Exchanger

Token Exchanger

This isn't a game and it didn’t actually launch in May 1976. It’s a machine that exchanges 1,000 yen bills for tokens. 

In fact, it already appears in a Tsumura advertisement from 1975. 

Money Changer (Tsumura)

The advertisement mentions that the machine is adjustable: you can set the number of tokens given in exchange for a 1,000 yen bill (depending on the token price), or even dispense 100 yen coins instead. The machine can also accept 500 yen bills. Did 500 yen bills actually exist in the 1970s?

(Semi) Big 6 Bonus

(Semi) Big 6 Bonus

Likely a variant of Big 6 (1974). 

The first question is whether this game supports one or three simultaneous players. From the photo, it seems possible there’s one player on the left, another on the right, and one in the middle—but it’s hard to say for sure. 

The second question: what does “Bonus” in the title refer to? We see columns radiating in four directions from the “wheel.” These columns contain numbers—could they represent a progressive jackpot (hence the term “Bonus”)?

In any case, Caitlyn from the site A Foreigner’s Guide to Eremeka Arcades found a potential missing link between Big 6 and (Semi) Big 6 Bonus:

Big 6 Bonus ?

It's a game with a similar design to (Semi) Big 6 Bonus, but seemingly a bit wider. Logically, this game should be called Big 6 Bonus and must have come out in 1975 or 1976.

(Semi) Wanderful Race 3

(Semi) Wanderful Race 3

The advertisement states that (Semi) Wanderful Race 3 is part of the Wanderful series. 
Clearly, it’s a scaled-down version of Wanderful 6 (or rather Wanderful Race 6). 

The same question arises as with (Semi) Big 6 Bonus: does the game support one or three players simultaneously? Does the “3” in the title refer to the number of players? 

Or might we eventually discover a larger game simply called Wanderful Race 3?

Jet 

As with many games, there isn’t much source material about Jet (ジェット).

In the Fuji Enterprise advertisement, we see it’s a video game themed around aerial dogfighting.

Jet

--Confusing the Turtle--

Only one other company advertises this game: a distributor called Turtle (タートル), based in Amagasaki, Hyôgo Prefecture. At the time, Turtle mostly advertised games from Fuji Enterprise. But it’s fair to say Turtle got quite confused when it came to presenting Jet.

June 1976:

Jet ?

August 1976:

...or Jet Fighter ?

September 1976:

Jet ?... Fighter ?

We see that Turtle couldn’t decide whether the game was called Jet (ジェット) or Jet Fighter (ジェットファイター). 

Likewise, it couldn’t settle on whether to show a photo of the tall upright cabinet or a smaller one. Turtle never mentioned a second version of Jet but did note that Kamikaze came in two different versions (we’ll come back to that). 

For all these reasons, I doubt that the smaller cabinet version of Jet ever existed.

But that cabinet itself does exist—it’s the one used for Atari’s Jet Fighter.

Jet Fighter ( Atari)

So, there’s good reason to believe Jet was heavily inspired by Jet Fighter, just as Kamikaze was clearly inspired by Avenger.

Earlier, I mentioned Avenger was first shown at the MOA in Chicago, October 1976. Jet Fighter was also introduced there for the first time.

This reinforces the idea that someone from Fuji Enterprise was greatly inspired by other companies' ideas during that event.

Jet Fighter (Atari)

As for Jet Fighter, it’s a game with a fixed screen for 1 or 2 players. 
Two supersonic jets fight each other by shooting. Each successful hit increases a player’s score. 
The hit plane continues to fly and fight—it can't be shot down. 
The goal is to have the highest score before time runs out. 

Gameplay is joystick-based, the joystick acting as a flight stick. 

The plane is always in motion. Pushing the joystick left doesn’t move the plane to the left side of the screen—it veers the trajectory left (you see the nuance?). Same for the right. 

Pushing forward accelerates, pulling back decelerates. 

There’s a fire button on top of the stick.

                                                                        Jet Fighter (Atari)

--Comparaison between Jet and Jet Fighter--

I noticed two differences between Jet and Jet Fighter:

1. The Jet advertisements mention 2-player mode only, so playing against the computer is probably not possible—unlike Jet Fighter.

2. The Jet cabinet has a throttle lever next to the joystick, probably to control the plane’s speed. So we can assume the joystick controls direction only, while speed depends on the lever. 

This was already somewhat the case with Kamikaze.

Time for a break ?

Fuji Enterprise’s advertisement also featured three small games by Kansai Kigyô (関西企業). That might not seem like much, but it hints at major upcoming changes. Especially since something else happened that I haven’t mentioned yet:

Takeo Ueyama (上山武夫), president of Fuji Enterprise, resigned in April 1976.

...But we’ll talk more about that in the next article.

Conclusion5

In the end, we’ve only covered six short months in this article. What’s clear is that Fuji Enterprise kept up a fast release pace and launched many games, including for export. The company kept thinking bigger—

                                                    ...Perhaps too big?

In the next article, we’ll cover the second half of 1976.
There will be sudden changes, and Fuji Enterprise will never be the same company again.

---

1. In this advertisement, we notice the appearance of a new official reseller in the list: Tôkai Amusement (東海アミューズメント). Tôkai Amusement is based in Nagoya. There's not much else to say, except that the company still exists today. ↑

2. In Japan, Kamikaze was also distributed by Esco Bôeki (エスコ貿易), the largest distributor in the country.↑

3. As for who developed Fuji Speed Race, Kamikaze, etc., I prefer to leave that question aside for now. There are a number of clues, but they don’t fit together neatly. I may write a dedicated article about this later. For now, let’s just say that the best candidate for Kamikaze is Pearl Denki (パール電機), the predecessor of Logitec (ロジテック).↑

4. Incidentally, the PlayMeter and Cash Box articles say exactly the same thing. They even contain the same typos: “Urigami” instead of Uragami, and “Kamekaze” instead of Kamikaze. Could they have been written by the same person? One last oddity: the ATE took place in the last week of January 1976, but the articles in PlayMeter, Cash Box, and even Game Machine are all dated March 1976.↑

5. This article is already packed with information, so now’s a good time to take a break.
(To be honest, I partially lost the text I had written when my computer crashed.)↑