YKK

next time you zip something up, take a look at the letters inscribed on the clasp. I bet in 9 out of 10 cases it'll say "YKK" on there. Well it appears they make other stuff too. here in j-land the locks on windows are also 9/10 YKK made. The company's product has made it onto my Hard Yakka pants, my One Planet backpack and my Mountain Design jacket. I didn't know that YKK is actually a Japanese brand and has been around since 1934.

YKK stands for "Yoshida Kogyo Kabushililaisha", with Yoshida Kogyo being the founder of the company, which was originally known as San-Es Shokai. but the full name is Yoshida Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (吉田工業株式会社). I guess after careful consideration, they choose not to use all three of the Ks in their name.