History of Mitsubishi Electric

History of
Mitsubishi Electric

The history of Mitsubishi Electric is the history of the development of modern Japan. The company was founded in 1921, when Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. (now Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.) spun off a factory in Kobe, Japan that made electric motors for ocean-going vessels into a new company called Mitsubishi Electric Corporation.

Building
our foundations

Mitsubishi Electric’s first major commercial product was an electric fan, which soon became a bestseller nationally.

photo: The first Mitsubishi Electric television (Model 101K-17), launched in 1953.

The first Mitsubishi Electric television, launched in 1953, spawned an ongoing tradition of excellence in audio and visual systems.

Innovating Japan’s
infrastructure

Debut of Diamond Vision™ display at Dodger Stadium in the United States

Development of the optical neurochip, a key device for realizing an optical neurocomputer

Exploring
what’s possible

photo: the world's first GPS-based car navigation system

Commercial release of the world’s first car navigation system incorporating GPS

Completion of Subaru telescope for the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan facility on the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii

Staying
a step ahead

Adoption of MISTY® technology as encryption standard for 3rd-generation mobile phones

Successful docking of "KOUNOTORI" (HTV) unmanned supply vehicle with International Space Station

Always seeking
the cutting-edge

GE-PON (Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network) systems win "top share" status in Japan

Completion of "Hayabusa" Series E5, holder of the Japanese speed record for a train

History of Mitsubishi Group

Since 1870, when Yataro Iwasaki launched the first Mitsubishi company, the Mitsubishi Group has grown into a suite of independent companies that are active today in nearly every sector of industry.