Company: Nikon

Industry: Imaging

Founded in 1917, Nikon was first known as Nippon Kōgaku Kōgyō Kabushikigaisha or Japan Optical Industries Corporation. It was the result of a merger of three optical manufacturers to form Nippon Kōgaku. In 1988, the company was renamed to Nikon Corporation.

After 60 years, the Japan Optical Industries Corporation became a producer of optical lenses, as well as the lenses for the first batch of Canon cameras. The company also supplied a variety of equipment for different purposes and uses, as those in binoculars, microscopes and various inspection equipment.

In the course of the Second World War, the company opened 19 factories that took in 23,000 employees. Since it was war time, the factories prioritized the manufacture of items such as bomb sights and periscopes, which they gave to the Japanese military. When the war ended, the company went back to its civilian product range with a single factory.

In 1948, Nikon I, the first Nikon branded camera, was released. As years went by, the product’s reputation improved due in part to David Douglas Duncan’s use of the Nikon lenses during the Korean War. Duncan, an American photojournalist, when he was introduced to Nikon lenses.

Over the years, Nikon has come up with a long line of cameras, both for professionals and first timers-including SLRs and digital compact cameras. Professionals and photo enthusiasts point to the sharpness of the pictures taken using a Nikon camera as one of the reasons for the product’s popularity.

Leadership:

President, CEO and COO – Michio Kariya