Foundation: 1912
Headquarters: Sakai city, Osaka
President: Wu Po-Hsuan
Executive Summary: Sharp Corporation is a Japanese multinational electronics company, now predominantly owned by the Taiwan-based Foxconn Group. Its core business involves manufacturing and selling telecommunications equipment, electronic appliances, and components. Founded by Tokuji Hayakawa in 1912, Sharp began as a metalworking shop in Tokyo and quickly made its mark internationally with the invention of the Hayakawa Mechanical Pencil, which was exported to the US and Europe just three years later.
In 1949, Sharp was listed on the Osaka Securities Exchange. Two years after that, in 1951, the company developed its first television prototype, leading to a technical collaboration with RCA in 1953 to produce Japan’s first mass-produced televisions. Sharp expanded into the US market in 1963. Over the years, Sharp has been recognized for numerous technological innovations, especially in consumer electronics.
From 2000 to 2006, Sharp was the world’s top producer of solar cells, and it was also an early adopter of carbon emission reduction strategies. However, financial difficulties in the early 2010s culminated in Foxconn taking control of Sharp in 2016. Today, Sharp employs over 17,000 in Japan and more than 30,000 internationally, with an annual revenue in the range of US$20 billion.