NTN Corporation (NTN株式会社, NTN Kabushiki-gaisha) (a.k.a. Niwa, Tomoe, Nishizono) is one of the most prominent manufacturers of bearings in Japan, second domestically only to NSK Ltd. The company is one of the largest exporters worldwide of friction-reducing products such as constant-velocity joints.[1] It is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and is a component of the Nikkei 225 stock index.[2] History Beginnings It was competitor Nippon Seiko (now known as NSK) which began the Japanese bearing industry in 1914 by producing such bearings. Four years later in 1918, Nishizono Ironworks, a factory in Uchibori, Mie Prefecture, began producing ball bearings. NTN Formation and Split Five years after Nishizono Ironworks began its production of these friction reducing components, the company merged with Tomoe Trading to fabricate and market them under the name "NTN". In 1927, however, Nishizono and Tomoe split, with the former company setting up a new company called "NTN Manufacturing Company".