Foundation: 1935
Headquarters: Minato Ward, Tokyo
President: Tatsuya Tanaka
Executive Summary: Fujitsu is a Japanese multinational company specializing in information technology equipment and services. It was established in 1935 as a joint venture between Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. and Germany’s Siemens AG, with the aim of restoring communication in the Kanto region following the devastating Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. The Japanese government, through what would become the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, decided to adopt new communication systems akin to those in Europe and the United States. Initially named Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., the venture included a communications division called Fuji Tsushinki.
After World War II, Fuji Tsushinki was tasked with rebuilding Japan’s telecommunications infrastructure. During this time, a team of young engineers, including Toshio Ikeda, later nicknamed “Mr. Computer,” and Hideki Yukawa, who would later win a Nobel Prize, began developing Japan’s first relay computer, the FACOM100. In 1954, under Ikeda’s leadership, the FACOM100 was completed, marking a significant departure from the vacuum tube-based computers of the era, which were prone to failure.
In the 1960s, under the leadership of its fifth president, Kanjiro Okada, Fujitsu decided to heavily invest in computing technology, despite the high initial costs for supplies and labor. Okada envisioned “infinite growth” from the computer industry. In 1969, now officially renamed Fujitsu, the company introduced the FACOM230-60, the world’s first computer based on integrated circuits, bundled with a new operating system. This model also introduced electronic banking in Japan, which was a pioneering move in the sector.
Throughout the 1970s, Fujitsu expanded its presence in the global market. Today, Fujitsu’s annual revenue is in the range of US$40 billion.
