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Hitachi

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Foundation: 1910

Headquarters: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo

President: Toshiaki Higashihara

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Executive Summary: Hitachi is a highly diversified company that operates in a wide variety of business segments, including telecommunications, financial services, power systems, electronics, transportation, and digital media. The company’s origins date back to 1910 when founder Namihei Odaira began operating an electrical shop in a copper mine northeast of Tokyo. The name Hitachi is derived from the name of the town where Odaira made his first sale. Namihei repaired the machinery at the mine and began experimenting with his own electrical designs. Later in the year, he produced the first domestically manufactured five horse power electric motor. In fact, this motor was far superior to competing imports in durability and efficiency. Early on, Hitachi focused on heavy electrical equipment and industrial machinery. Hitachi received a large boost in sales after the outbreak of World War I, when a large power company was unable to receive turbines from Germany. Soon after, other industrial companies in the same situation made purchases from the firm. Hitachi began acquiring other companies and became the country’s largest supplier of pumps, blowers, and other mechanical equipment. In 1924, Hitachi built Japan’s first electric train. In the years leading up to and during the Pacific War, Odaira was heavily pressured by the military to produce war materials, much to his dismay. Hitachi struggled to maintain independence and was forced to produce radar and sonar equipment for the Imperial Navy. The company did not manufacture any weapons however. Many of Hitachi’s factories were destroyed in Allied bombing raids, and initially US occupation forces wanted to disband the company completely. Due to these factors, Odaira was removed from leadership of the company. It took three years of negotiations to allow Hitachi to maintain its manufacturing plants. A labor strike in 1950 followed, creating further difficulties for Hitachi’s efforts to rebuild its business. However, the Korean War helped to reinvigorate the company with defense contracts offered by the US military. Odaira’s successor, Chikara Kurata, pushed the company into an era of market expansion, developing technology and making deals with General Electric and RCA. He initiated licensing agreements that allowed Hitachi to compete in the global market. One of the most important decisions made by the company was its investment in computer technology. Its first computer was built in 1957, and this became an important pillar of future business. Later, the company was to become the world’s largest producer of analogue computers, which were pivotal to the scientific research of that era. In the 1960s, Hitachi branched out into consumer goods, establishing their own line of household appliances. From around this time, the company began receiving substantial support from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry to help to narrow the competitive gap between Japan and the United States. In a negative development, the company faced a serious scandal in 1982 in which employees were caught buying technical secrets from IBM, which greatly impacted the firm’s public image. More recently, former Hitachi President Katsushige Mita reorganized the company with increased automation and investment into research and development. Today, Hitachi’s consolidated annual income is in the range of US$90 billion.

NTT Docomo

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Foundation: 1991

Headquarters: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo

President: Motoyuki Ii

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Executive Summary: NTT Docomo is a major Japanese mobile phone operator that currently provides a range of products, including smartphones, personal computers, smartwatches, and routers, as well as a range of services, such as public wireless LAN and international roaming. Originally named NTT Mobile Communications Network, the company was spun off from Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) in August 1991 and was formally established in 1992. One year later, the company launched its first digital cellular service, mova 2G. Motivated by a desire to “take over the mobile cellular operations,” NTT Docomo became Japan’s largest telecommunications company, holding over 40% of all mobile subscriptions in the country in 2020. In October 1998, the company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and, just one year later, launched the world’s first mobile internet-services platform, the i-mode. In 2001, the company revolutionized the telecommunications industry when it released the world’s first 3G service based on the earlier Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) standard for mobile communications, which NTT Docomo had helped to establish. It was only in 2000 that the company officially changed its name to NTT Docomo–“Docomo” being an acronym for “do communications over the mobile network” and a reference to the Japanese word “dokomo,” which also translates to “everywhere.” In July 2008, NTT Docomo merged with eight of its regional, wholly-owned subsidiaries located in Hokkaido, Tohoku, Tokai, Hokuriku, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu. The merger was motivated by a desire to streamline and quicken group management and decision-making. In 2010, NTT Docomo released one of the world’s first LTE services. LTE stands for “Long-Term Evolution” and existed as a pathway to what is now referred to as 4G, allowing for wireless data transmission to occur at speeds faster than 3G. Currently, NTT Docomo operates across the Asia Pacific (Japan, China, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Guam), Europe (Germany and England), and the Americas (Brazil and the USA). NTT Docomo serves over 70 million customers in Japan and employs around 27,000 people. Its annual income is in the range of US$45 billion.

Nikon Releases Its First APS-C Mirrorless Camera

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Following its release of two full-frame mirrorless cameras last year, the Z7 and the Z6, Nikon has now released its first APS-C model, the Z50, which should bring the mirrorless camera experience to consumers at a much lower price point.

Along with the release of the Z50, Nikon has also released two customized lenses for the new camera, the Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR standard zoom lens and the Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR telephoto zoom lens.

The Z50 is a compact and lightweight, high-performance mirrorless camera, meant to be easily carried. Indeed, it weighs just 397 grams, compared to 675 grams for the Z6 full-frame camera.

This camera will be Nikon’s answer to rivals in its same class such as the Sony A6400, Fujifilm X-T30, and the Canon EOS M6 Mark II.

Among its key features are Eye-AF autofocus, 4K UHD recording, an LCD touchscreen that flips downward, and connectivity to with various smart devices.

It does lack in-body image stabilization, though some stabilization is provided by the two new lenses.

The camera’s Z mount supports both the Nikkor Z DX and Nikkor Z FX formats, so all Nikkor Z lenses, as well as S-line lenses, can be used with the Z50.

Low light performance is said to be quite good for an APS-C camera.

Nikon

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Foundation: 1917

Headquarters: Minato Ward, Tokyo

President: Toshikazu Umatate

Website

Executive Summary: Nikon was established in 1917, currently engaged in businesses such as the production of camera and video equipment, microscopes, lenses, precision machinery, and healthcare. Its corporate philosophy is “trustworthiness and creativity” and its vision is to “unlock the future with the power of light.” The core of Nikon technology is its optical techniques and precision technologies. During the Pacific War, Nikon operated about thirty factories, producing binoculars, lenses, bomb sights, and periscopes for the Japanese military. In 1948, the Nikon I was unveiled, which was the company’s first branded consumer camera. Nikon lenses gained a positive international reputation as early as the 1950s. Nikon made a point of trying to be a responsible company, and in recent years it focused such efforts largely on environmental issues. Its annual income in the range of US$4 billion.

Nikon D780

Panasonic Develops Driverless Parking System

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Panasonic (Osaka) — Society is increasingly seeking to build a safer, more comfortable automotive society through advancing automated driving and reducing traffic accidents. To achieve this goal, Panasonic has developed a driverless automated valet parking system and an AR-HUD (Augmented Reality Head-Up Display). The driverless automated valet parking system achieves fully automated driving in limited areas, while the AR-HUD offers safe, comfortable navigation so that the user can concentrate on driving. These technologies will be installed in Toyota Motor Corporation’s concept car, LQ.

Driverless automated valet parking system: This system is achieving driverless automated valet parking without dedicated expensive sensors. It accurately identifies the position of own vehicle by using multiple conventional in-vehicle cameras, sonars, and radar sensors as well as a 2D road map. The system enables safe parking by finding an empty space and detecting pedestrians who enter the roadway by linking to surveillance cameras in a parking lot and a control server. Driverless automated valet parking accomplishes parking in a very narrow space up to a minimum of 20cm clearance between cars, because it is unnecessary to open or close the doors after parking. An in-vehicle emergency braking system that detects people by using deep learning helps to prevent accidents.

This system is expected to offer the following advantages：

  1. Achieving driverless automated valet parking system, without dedicated expensive sensors. Reduce traffic accident in a parking lot at low cost and reduce significantly stress related to parking (e.g., finding a parking space, walking a long distance from a parking lot, dealing with adverse weather condition)
  2. Effectively utilize land by enabling the use of distant parking lots and small parking spaces

Large screen AR-HUD: A large image that gives a sense of depth is superimposed on the actual space in front of the driver’s seat. Based on the information from the vehicle, the AR-HUD indicates route information and obstacle alerts just like physical markings on the road. It presents a high-quality image on a large screen with minimal distortion by using the company’s proprietary optical technologies–refined through the development of audio-visual products–to reduce misalignment between the actual space and the image.

This system is expected to offer the following advantages：

  1. Assist with safe driving by reducing the movements and focus readjustments of the driver’s eyes by presenting information intuitively
  2. Reduce the misalignment caused by vibration between the actual space and the displayed image by using proprietary vibration compensation technology, achieving navigation that is easier to see and understand

Sony

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Foundation: 1946

Headquarters: Minato Ward, Tokyo

Chairman, President, and CEO: Kenichiro Yoshida

Website

Executive Summary: Sony is one of Japan’s leading firms focusing on a diversified range of consumer and professional electronics, gaming, entertainment, and financial services. It is among the global leaders in music, video games, electronics, and film entertainment. The firm’s origins date back to when Masaru Ibuka started an electronics shop in 1946, which would later become the company known as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo with the help of Akio Morita. After building the Type-G, Japan’s first tape recorder in 1950, and the TR-55, Japan’s first transistor radio in 1955, the company changed its name to “Sony” in 1958. Subsequently, the company signed a deal with Western Electric in the United States that would lead to its first successful product line, the TR-63, a pocket-sized transistor radio, which brought international recognition. Due to the influx of US business, the Sony Corporation of America was established in New York City. By 1968, the company released its first color television, which led in turn to the first color VCR in 1971, and eventually to the Betamax VCR in 1975. The Betamax was a superior system to its competitor, the VCR, although because it was more expensive, it lost market share. In 1979, the Sony Walkman was released and became a major international hit, selling hundreds of millions of units. After a development agreement with Dutch company Philips Electronics NV, Sony released their first CD player in 1982. The following year, Sony introduced the world’s first camcorder. At this juncture, Sony began to diversify into other fields, such as the establishment of its own life insurance company. When Norio Ohga became company president, he bought CBS Records Group, the world’s largest record company, and Columbia Pictures Entertainment, adding entertainment content to Sony’s operations. These acquisitions were renamed to Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment, respectively, in 1991. After losing both founders in the early 1990s, Sony reported its first loss of US$200 million in 1993. Despite this, in 1994, the Sony Computer Entertainment division introduced the PlayStation video game console, which by 2002 contributed to more than 10% of the company’s annual revenue. The Sony Online Entertainment division, particularly the internet virtual reality game EverQuest, was also a large source of profits. The Vaio line of personal computers was introduced in 1997 and marketed as a high-quality system for those interested in playing or developing multimedia programs. Howard Stringer was appointed CEO in 2005, becoming the first foreigner to run a major Japanese electronics firm. He reinvigorated Sony by cutting costs and encouraging movie blockbusters such as Spider-Man. The company continued to struggle, however, and in 2012 Kazuo Hirai, an executive in the video game division, was promoted president and CEO, replacing Stringer, but largely continuing his policies. More recently, Kenichiro Yoshida replaced Hirai and the company has been pursuing projects such as the Vision-S car, the Airpeak drone, and Soliss. Sony’s annual income is in the range of US$80 billion.

Ghostbusters in the Park

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Sony (Tokyo) — Ginza Sony Park’s 11th experimental program #011 Ghostbusters in the Park begins on October 12 (Sat), 2019. Commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Ghostbusters, this program will be packed with excitement featuring the legendary team that has inspired legions of fans since making their original debut 35 years ago.

Revisit old memories and discover new ones as technology and entertainment collide for a “chemical reaction” you won’t want to miss. Exterminate ghosts in augmented reality (AR) with the Ghostbusters Rookie Training demo making its Japan debut. These attractions and more will be waiting for you at Ghostbusters in the Park.

Ghostbusters Rookie Training: Be a member of the Ghostbusters! Led by trainers, participants walk about Ginza Sony Park working together to exterminate ghosts that appear throughout the venue in this new attraction making its demo debut in Japan. Experience being a Ghostbuster with an entirely new sense of immersion, equipped with a number of tools including an AR device (prototype) that utilizes the latest in augmented reality technology. Those who participate in this demo will also receive a nice present.

Caution: This activity will be conducted entirely in Japanese, and there will not be any language interpretation available. The application page and consent form are also only in Japanese. While participation is open to everyone, the activities rely heavily on instructions and team communication, so please kindly bear this in mind when considering whether to apply. We appreciate your understanding.

Location: Ginza Sony Park, B3 Level

October 12 (Sat) – December 8 (Sun), 2019

Two to four sessions are planned for each day. Please check the starting times for each session when you apply. Each session will last roughly 60 minutes, including the questionnaire and other formalities.

Application Window (Japanese)

Promotional Video: Ghostbusters in the Park

Hitachi AI Used in Seiyu Markets

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Hitachi (Tokyo) — Through collaborative creation with Hitachi, Ltd., Seiyu GK will introduce the Hitachi Digital Solution for Retail/AI Demand Forecast Auto Replenishment Service to stores all over Japan from October 2019 as a system for automatically replenishing based on demand forecasted by AI. The subjects of this service include approximately 250 items produced at Seiyu’s central kitchens among the products sold at the deli section. Conventionally, replenishment is implemented by experienced Seiyu associates (employees) in charge for each product based on past sales results and others. In contrast, in this system, AI conducts a high level of demand forecast for each store and product. The replenishment quantity is determined based on the results of the forecast, and thus the system enables automation of replenishing operations.

Through the introduction of this system, Seiyu aims to be able to concentrate more on the store operations, including processing food at the in-store kitchens and customer services, and to suppress stockout and food waste and losses, by having AI implement replenishment operations conventionally carried out by the persons in charge.

Recently, in the retail business in Japan, consumer needs have become more diversified and the labor shortage occurs due to the decreasing population of productive age. Reflecting these backgrounds, the demand for highly efficient store operations capable of immediately responding to changes in demand using advanced digital technologies have been increasing. In addition, food loss, which is the issue where a large amount of edible food is wasted, has become a social issue. On October 1, 2019, the law related to the promotion of food loss reduction came into force, which requires retail business operators to suppress food loss.

At Seiyu, the persons in charge at each store have conventionally predicted demand for each product in consideration of complex conditions, such as past volume of inventories, replenishment quantities, sales quantities, waste quantities, weather conditions and information about events; determined the replenishment quantities and implemented replenishment based on the forecast. These operations require the experience and knowhow of skilled workers and a certain number of operating hours.

Under these circumstances, Seiyu, advancing Every Day Low Cost and making efforts for innovating store operations, and Hitachi, offering the Hitachi Digital Solution for Retail that is a Lumada (Hitachi) solution for retail and distribution businesses which uses advanced digital technology, have unified their knowledge and expertise and started a collaborative creation for increasing the efficiency of replenishment operations using AI in 2018. For one month since March this year, Seiyu and Hitachi conducted joint demonstration tests for 19 items in the takeout food/delicatessen sales floors at three Seiyu stores, applying the Hitachi Digital Solution for Retail/AI Demand Forecast Auto Replenishment Service.

Moving forward, Seiyu, aiming to become an advanced and innovative value retailer under its corporate vision of Every Day Low Price, and Hitachi will activate the sales floors through further increases in store operation efficiency using digital technology including this system and advance their efforts for work-style reforms, and also contribute to achieving the SDGs by suppressing food loss.

Hitachi will develop the Hitachi Digital Solution for Retail/AI Demand Forecast Auto Replenishment Service applied as one of the Lumada solutions for the retail and distribution businesses.

Canon Celebrates Production of 100 Million EOS Cameras

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Canon (Tokyo) — Canon Inc. today celebrated a camera-manufacturing milestone as combined production of the Company’s EOS-series silver halide (film) and digital interchangeable-lens cameras surpassed 100 million units on September 20, 2019. An EOS R (released in October 2018) mirrorless camera was the 100 millionth EOS-series camera produced.

An acronym of Electro Optical System, EOS is also the name of the goddess of the dawn in Greek mythology. Boasting an attractive product lineup that caters to a variety of user needs and an extensive series of EF lenses, with which Canon strives to expand the boundaries of imaging expression, the EOS series has supported a great many users over its long history, and enabled Canon to maintain the No. 1 share of the global interchangeable-lens digital camera market for 16 consecutive years from 2003 to 2018.

The EOS series began with the EOS 650 (released in March 1987), a next-generation AF single-lens reflex (SLR) camera featuring the world’s first fully electronic lens mount. Production of the EOS series began in what was then Canon’s Fukushima plant and now takes place at a variety of locations—including Taiwan, Miyazaki, Nagasaki and the lynchpin Oita Canon—where production is carried out under stringent product quality management. Following the release of the EOS 650, Canon continued to introduce products featuring innovative technology that realize speed and comfort—such as the high-end EOS-1 (released in 1989) and the EOS Kiss (released in 1993)—expanding the EOS series to cater to users ranging from amateur to professional.

From the year 2000 onwards as the pace of digital SLRs (DSLR) adoption picked up, Canon sought to create even more appealing products. The EOS series’ core concept was expanded to include “high image quality,” achieved through such proprietary, cutting-edge technology as CMOS sensors and DIGIC image processors. In 2003, Canon released the EOS Kiss—a compact, lightweight DSLR with an affordable price—which contributed to the wider adoption of interchangeable-lens digital cameras. Through the EOS 5D series, which contributed to the use of interchangeable-lens cameras for video capture, and the establishment of the Cinema EOS System of professional digital cinematography products in 2012, Canon extended its video technology to the BtoB sphere as it entered the video production industry. Canon will continue to explore new approaches with the EOS series, such as the 2018 launch of the EOS R System, which employs the new RF Mount.

Expanding from its beginnings in still photos to the realm of video, the EOS series has come to support a wide range of users, from entry-level to professional. Canon will continue to pursue “speed, comfort and high image quality” as the core concept of the EOS series, further strengthening and expanding the EOS System towards expanding the culture of photographic and video imaging.

iPhone 11 Success Boosts Japan Display Recovery Prospects

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Akihabara News (Tokyo) — The brisk sales of the base model iPhone 11 is putting much-needed wind in the sales of Japan Display Inc. at a crucial point in its bailout process.

Japan Display produces the liquid crystal display (LCD) screens used in the base model iPhone 11, which is finding favor with consumers, significantly exceeding expectations in terms of the number of orders. Apple’s supply chain partners, including Japan Display, are increasing their production schedules and forecasts.

This boost in LCD demand couldn’t have come at a better time for Japan Display, which has fallen into financial crisis for several years and has been struggling to find investors to keep it afloat.

The latest reports suggest that it may be Apple itself which is doing the most to rescue its troubled supplier, intending to inject US$200 million in funds in Japan Display.

A more fundamental challenge for Japan Display is that the smartphone market is largely shifting away from the LCD screens that it produces toward next-generation organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels. The iPhone 11 Pro, for example, uses the OLED technology.

Japan Display would, of course, like to enter the OLED business as well, but has so far been far short of the investment funds it would need for that purpose.

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