Chronology

1910 - 1929

1912
  • Founder, Tokuji Hayakawa, invents the Tokubijo snap buckle and acquires utility model design patent
  • Establishes metalworking shop in Matsui-cho, Honjo-ku, Tokyo (now Shin-ohashi, Koto-ku, Tokyo) on September 15
1914
  • Moves to Hayashi-cho, Honjo-ku, Tokyo (now Tachikawa, Sumida-ku, Tokyo)
  • Installs one-horsepower electric motor
1915
  • Invents Hayakawa Mechanical Pencil and begins export to the US and Europe
  • Establishes Hayakawa Brothers Shokai
1920
  • Establishes branch factory in Oshiage, Tokyo (now Yahiro, Sumida-ku, Tokyo)
1923
  • All factories destroyed during Great Kanto Earthquake
  • Dissolves Hayakawa Brothers Shokai and relocates to Osaka
1924
  • Establishes Hayakawa Metal Works in Tanabe-cho, Higashinari-gun, Osaka Prefecture (now the location of the Head Office)
1925
  • Succeeds in assembling first Japan-made crystal radio set; begins mass production and sales
  • Establishes sales office in Utsubo, Osaka
1926
  • Begins export of radio sets and components to China, Southeast Asia, India, and South America
  • Establishes Tokyo office in Hayashi-cho (Honjo-ku, Tokyo), a former site of the company's factory
  • Adopts assembly-line production for radios
1927
  • Holds Sharp radio trade fairs in Kyushu, Japan and Shanghai, China
1929
  • Releases AC vacuum-tube radios

1930 - 1949

1930
  • Hayakawa tours Hong Kong
  • Begins attaching repair notices to radios. Retailers would notify the company of repairs they did by sending back these notices to the company.
1931
  • Establishes sales agency in Hong Kong
1934
  • Establishes Shanghai office
  • Constructs Hirano Plant in Osaka
1935
  • Hayakawa Metal Works Institute Co. incorporated with capital of 300,000 yen (May 1)
  • Youths' School Ordinance issued in Japan
1936
  • Installs intermittent belt conveyor system
  • Makes Yokohama Motor Parts Manufacturing a subsidiary
  • Changes company name to Hayakawa Metal Works Co.
  • Establishes branch offices in Taipei and Seoul
1937
  • Establishes Hayakawa Commercial School for Youth
1942
  • Changes company name to Hayakawa Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
1943
  • Head office building completed
1944
  • Establishes Hayakawa Electric branch factory
  • Establishes Izumi Plant in Izumi-cho (now Izumi City), Osaka (sold in 1948)
1945
  • Establishes Kyoto Plant in Shimogyo-ku (now Minami-ku), Kyoto (sold in 1947)
1946
  • Forms labor union
  • Designated special accounting company
1948
  • Establishes Sharp Shoji
1949
  • Released from special accounting company designation
  • Public stock offering, company listed on Osaka Securities Exchange

1950 - 1959

1950
  • Plant to employ the visually impaired incorporated as Tokusen Metal Limited Partnership
  • Establishes business principles called the Five Accumulations of Competency
1951
  • Successfully develops prototype TV set
1952
  • Begins publication of Sharp News, an information magazine for retailers
  • Special bus begins touring the country to advertise Sharp radios and TVs
  • Signs cooperative agreement with RCA of the US for TV technology
  • Forms Sharp Friends Club to strengthen ties between dealers, retailers, and the company
1953
  • Begins full-scale mass production of first Japan-made TV sets (TV3-14T)
1954
  • Constructs TV plant at the head office (now Tanabe Plant, Osaka) and installs endless conveyor system
  • Opens Ikutoku-en nursery school
1955
  • Formulates in-house standards (HS: Hayakawa Standards)
1956
  • Spins off sales division to establish Sharp Electric Co.
  • Constructs new building for Osaka Head Office
  • Constructs new building for Tokyo Branch in Taito-ku, Tokyo
1957
  • Establishes Tokyo Sharp Geppan to sell Sharp products on monthly installment system; Sharp Geppan companies subsequently established nationwide
  • Constructs Hirano Plant No. 2 in Higashi-sumiyoshi-ku (now Hirano-ku), Osaka
  • Releases transistor radios
  • Establishes laboratory
1958
  • Begins publication of Mado, an in-house magazine
  • Sharp Electric merges with Hayakawa Dengyo, a company that sold fluorescent lighting
  • Sharp Shoji and QRK Shokai (exclusive Sharp dealer) combined to form Osaka Sharp Sales (regional sales companies subsequently established)
  • Institutes Sharp Friend Shop system; Sharp Friend Shop Associations formed nationwide
1959
  • Begins R&D on solar cells
  • Constructs Yao Plant as company moves to become a comprehensive consumer electronics manufacturer
  • Expands sales network in Southeast Asia by signing dealer agreements with Sampo Electronics and Roxy Electric

1960 - 1969

1960
  • Constructs Yamato-koriyama Plant No. 1 (now Nara Plant)
  • Establishes corporate health insurance association
  • Introduces IBM computer at the head office
1961
  • Establishes Central Research Laboratories
1962
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics Corporation (SEC) in the US, the company's first overseas sales base
  • Begins mass production of commercial-use microwave ovens (R-10)
  • Osaka Municipal Hayakawa Welfare Hall completed with construction funds donated by President Hayakawa
  • Builds shrine on Mt. Koya for holding Buddhist memorial services for deceased employees
1963
  • Establishes service company in Osaka
  • Company reorganized into three divisions: radio, home appliances, and industrial equipment
    Establishes Sharp Tokyo Product Center
1964
  • Release world's first all-transistor diode electronic desktop calculator (CS-10A) as company moves to become a comprehensive electronics manufacturer
  • Builds mass-production line for solar cells
1965
  • Institutes 70 Strategy to strengthen distribution system
  • Launches ATOM Unit program
1966
  • Releases home-use microwave oven with a turntable (R-600)
1967
  • Launches 55 Campaign that included Sharp technology fairs to celebrate 55th anniversary of company's founding
  • Constructs Hiroshima Plant to mass produce transistor radios
  • Sharp Electric absorbed into Hayakawa Electric
  • Sharp Electronic Sales Okinawa Corporation established in Okinawa, then under US rule
1968
  • Establishes Hayakawa Electric Europe GmbH (HEEG) (name changed to Sharp Electronics [Europe] GmbH [SEEG] in 1970) as sales base in West Germany
  • Holds first Basic Management Policy Conference
  • Constructs Tochigi Plant to mass produce color TVs
  • Establishes Business Cooperation Centers nationwide
1969
  • Launches MI campaign
  • Signs cooperative technical agreement with North American Rockwell Corporation on ICs
  • Osaka Municipal Abeno Youth Center completed with construction funds donated by President Hayakawa
  • Establishes office equipment sales companies in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics (U.K.) Ltd. (SUK) as sales base in the UK
  • Develops world's first GND (gallium arsenic negative-resistance light-emitting diode) semiconductor
  • Releases world's first electronic calculator incorporating MOS LSIs (QT-8D)

1970 - 1979

1970
  • Changes company name to Sharp Corporation
  • Establishes Sharp Precision Machinery Co., Ltd. (name changed to Sharp Manufacturing Systems Corporation in 1994)
  • Senior Executive Director Akira Saeki named president, President Tokuji Hayakawa named chairman
  • Constructs Advanced Development and Planning Center
  • Implements business group system
  • Releases gallium arsenide double LED
1971
  • Establishes Sharp Corporation of Australia Pty. Ltd. (SCA) as sales base in Australia
  • Awarded the 1970 Okochi Memorial Production Prize for incorporating ELSIs in calculators
1972
  • Releases company's first copier
  • Launches new sales company system (regional sales companies consolidated into 16 companies by region)
  • Launches S734 Project for developing COS calculators
  • Adds Sharp Grand Award to annual employee commendation
  • Opens Consumer Information Centers at nine service companies throughout Japan
  • Establishes Sharp System Products Co., Ltd.
  • Forms Sharp Employee Stockholder Association
1973
  • Establishes Business Philosophy, Business Creed, and Basic Business Principles
  • Sets up employee savings scheme
  • Establishes Sharp Data Corporation (SDA) (name changed to Sharp Korea Corporation [SKC] in 1984) as manufacturing base in Korea
  • Begins production of CMOS LSIs; releases pocket-sized COS calculator with LCD
1974
  • Holds first company-wide QC circle convention
  • Constructs former Sharp Tokyo Building (Sharp Tokyo Ichigaya Building)
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics of Canada Ltd. (SECL) as sales base in Canada
  • Establishes Sharp-Roxy Corporation (M) Sdn. Bhd. (SRC) as manufacturing base in Malaysia (name changed to S&O Electronics [Malaysia] Sdn. Bhd. [SOEM] in 2008)
  • Launches ELM products
  • Formulates company-wide quality standards (SS: Sharp Corporation Standards)
1975
  • Begins mass production of color TVs at SCA in Australia
1976
  • Launches New Life product strategy
  • Sharp solar cells installed on Ume, Japan's first operational ionosphere-observing satellite
1977
  • Establishes Sharp System Service
  • Launches Special Project Team system
  • Tokusen Metal Limited Partnership certified as special subsidiary of Sharp Corporation
1978
  • Installs automated production line for the complete fabrication of calculators (awarded the Okochi Memorial Production Prize in 1981)
1979
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics (Svenska) AB (SES) (name changed to Sharp Electronics [Nordic] AB [SEN] in 2000) as sales base in Sweden
  • Sharp Manufacturing Company of America (SMCA) starts operations as production division of SEC
  • Establishes SBC Software

1980 - 1989

1980
  • Announces one-trillion yen initiative
  • Forms Sharp Fellowship Society
  • Launches New Business product strategy under a "new business style" concept
  • Chairman Tokuji Hayakawa passes away
  • Establishes Sharp Business Co., Ltd.
  • Establishes Sharp-Roxy Electronics Corporation (M) Sdn. Bhd. (SREC) as manufacturing base in Malaysia (merged into SMM in 2009)
1981
  • Establishes Sharp Consumer Electronics Co., Ltd.
  • Constructs Shinjo Plant (now Katsuragi Plant) in Nara
  • Constructs mass-production plant for EL displays (starts full-scale operations in 1983)
  • Develops laser diode with VSIS architecture
1982
  • Establishes Sharp (Phils.) Corporation (SPC) as manufacturing base in the Philippines
  • Establishes Sharp Finance Corporation
  • Establishes Sharp-ECD Solar Co., Ltd. as joint venture with Energy Conversion Devices Inc. of the US
  • Sharp multinet system goes online
  • Tokusen Metal Limited Partnership reorganized into Sharp Tokusen Industry Co.
1983
  • Establishes Sharp Engineering Corporation
  • EL displays installed on the Space Shuttle
1985
  • Sharp Manufacturing Company of U.K. (SUKM) starts operations as production division of SUK
  • Holds comprehensive technology exhibitions in Beijing and Shanghai
  • Establishes Sharp-Roxy Appliances Corporation (M) Sdn. Bhd. (SRAC) as manufacturing base in Malaysia (ceases operations in 2002)
  • Establishes Sharp-Roxy Sales & Service Company (M) Sdn. Bhd. (SRSSC) as sales base in Malaysia
  • Establishes Creative Lifestyle Focus Center
  • Constructs Fukuyama Plant
  • Establishes Sharp Trading Corporation
  • Builds prototype of 3-inch color LCD TV
1986
  • Builds "futuristic electric house" on the grounds of Yao Plant
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics (Schweiz) AG (SEZ) as sales base in Switzerland
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics GmbH (SEA) as sales base in Austria (merges with SEEG in 2004 to become SEEG Austria Branch)
  • Establishes Sharp-Roxy Sales (Singapore) Pte., Ltd. (SRS) as sales base in Singapore
  • Establishes Sharp Electrónica España S.A. (SEES) as manufacturing and sales base in Spain (ceases manufacturing in 2011)
  • Senior Executive Director Haruo Tsuji named president, President Akira Saeki named chairman
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics Taiwan Co., Ltd. (SET) as manufacturing base in Taiwan (liquidated in 2010)
  • Launches Liquid Crystal Display Division
1987
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics Sales Corporation
  • Establishes Sharp Appliances (Thailand) Limited (SATL) as manufacturing base in Thailand
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics (Singapore) Pte., Ltd. (SESL) as kit export base in Singapore
  • Chairman Akira Saeki appointed as corporate advisor
  • Establishes Sharp-Roxy (Hong Kong) Ltd. (SRH) as sales base in Hong Kong
1988
  • The Sharp Columbus, a promotional event boat, cruises the waters of Japan for 18 months
  • Establishes Sharp Corporation of New Zealand Ltd. (SCNZ) as sales base in New Zealand
  • Establishes Sharp Precision Manufacturing (U.K.) Ltd. (SPM) as manufacturing base in the UK (liquidated in 2010)
  • Introduces in-house recruiting system
  • Develops hologram laser unit jointly with Philips International B.V. of the Netherlands
  • Proclaims goal of becoming comprehensive electronics manufacturer on the strength of its optoelectronics technologies
  • Develops 14-inch color TFT LCD
1989
  • Establishes Sharp Manufacturing France S.A. (SMF) as manufacturing base in France
  • Establishes Sharp Thebnakorn Co., Ltd. (STCL) as sales base in Thailand (name changed to Sharp Thai Co., Ltd. [STCL] in 2007)
  • Establishes Kalyani Sharp India Limited (KSIL) as manufacturing base in India (name changed to Sharp India Limited [SIL] in 2005)
  • Establishes Sharp Manufacturing Corporation (M) Sdn. Bhd. (SMM) as manufacturing base in Malaysia

1990 - 1999

1990
  • Establishes Sharp Corporation (Taiwan) (SCOT) as sales base in Taiwan
  • Establishes Sharp Laboratories of Europe, Ltd. (SLE) as base to conduct basic research in the UK
  • Launches Liquid Crystal Display Group
  • SUKM receives the UK Queen's Award for Export and Technology
  • Establishes Sharp International Finance (U.K.) Plc. (SIF) as financial subsidiary in the UK
  • Establishes Sharp Burotype Machines S.A. (SBM) as sales base in France (name changed to Sharp Electronics France S.A. [SEF] in 1991)
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics (Italia) S.p.A. (SEIS) as sales base in Italy
  • Company-wide small-group activities renamed Sharp CATS (Creative Action Teams)
  • Establishes childcare leave system
  • Achieves non-consolidated net sales of 1 trillion yen (fiscal 1989)
1991
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics Benelux B.V. as sales base in the Netherlands
  • Begins production at color TFT LCD plant (NF-1 production line) at Advanced Development and Planning Center
1992
  • Establishes Sharp Electronic Components (Taiwan) Corporation (SECT) as electronic components sales base, and Sharp Technology (Taiwan) Co., Ltd. (STT) as IC design and development base (STT liquidated in 2007)
  • Ties up with Intel Corporation in flash memory business
  • Establishes Sharp Live Electronics Sales Corporation
  • Establishes Shanghai Sharp Air-Conditioning Systems Co., Ltd. (SSAC) as manufacturing base in China (name changed to Shanghai Sharp Electronics Co., Ltd. [SSEC] in 1994)
  • Constructs Makuhari Building
  • Establishes Sharp Thebnakorn Manufacturing (Thailand) (STTM) as production division of STCL
1993
  • Begins production at Fukuyama Plant using 0.6 μm process design rules
  • Establishes Sharp Office Equipments (Changshu) Co., Ltd. (SOCC) as manufacturing base in China
1994
  • Develops industry's first reflective TFT LCD requiring no backlight
  • Establishes Wuxi Sharp Electronic Components Co., Ltd. (WSEC) as manufacturing base in China
  • Establishes P.T. Sharp Yasonta Indonesia (SYI) as manufacturing base, and P.T. Sharp Yasonta Antarnusa (SYA) as sales base in Indonesia (the two merged to form P.T. Sharp Electronics Indonesia [SEID] in 2005)
1995
  • Establishes Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc. (SLA) as research base in the US
  • Establishes P.T. Sharp Semiconductor Indonesia (SSI) as manufacturing base for semiconductors in Indonesia
  • Begins operations at Mie Plant for mass production of LCDs
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (SEM) as combined R&D base and parts supplier in Malaysia
1996
  • Establishes Nanjing Sharp Electronics Co., Ltd. (NSEC) as manufacturing base in China
  • Official Sharp Internet website opens
1997
  • All Sharp production bases in Japan certified for ISO 14001
  • Establishes Shanghai Sharp Mold and Manufacturing Systems Co., Ltd. (SSMC) as manufacturing base in China
  • Establishes Sharp Electrónica Mexico S.A. de C.V. (SEMEX) as manufacturing base in Mexico
  • Launches Environmental Protection Group and starts 3G-1R Strategy
  • Introduces integrated distribution system in Japan
1998
  • Establishes Sharp Middle East Free Zone Establishment (SMEF) as sales base in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  • Jointly develops world's first CG-Silicon (continuous grain silicon) technology with Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
  • Develops and begins mass production of world’s first stacked CSP (chip size package)
  • Establishes Sharp Document Systems Corporation and Sharp Amenity Systems Corporation
  • Corporate Senior Executive Director Katsuhiko Machida named president, President Haruo Tsuji named corporate advisor
  • Formulates Sharp Business Standards and Action Guidelines
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics Marketing Corporation
  • President Machida declares that by 2005 all TVs Sharp sells in Japan will be LCD TVs
1999
  • Launches Sharp Space Town information service
  • Develops 1-bit amplifier technology for reproducing ultra high-fidelity sound
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics Inc. of Korea (SEI) as sales base in Korea
  • Establishes Sharp Software Development India Pvt. Ltd. (SSDI) as software development company in India
  • Publishes first Environmental Report

2000 - 2009

2000
  • Launches advertising campaign for AQUOS, calling it a TV for the 21st century
  • Establishes Sharp Microelectronics of China (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (SMC) as sales base in China (name changed to Sharp Electronics [Shanghai] Co., Ltd. [SES] in 2003)
  • Establishes Sharp Business Systems (India) Limited (SBI) as sales base in India
  • Becomes world's largest manufacturer of solar cells. Maintains this position for seven consecutive years, until 2006
2001
  • Releases TVs with Advanced Super View LCD
  • Establishes S.I. Solutions jointly with IBM Japan
  • Kansai Recycling Systems Co., Ltd. starts operations (established in 1999)
  • Establishes Sharp Telecommunications of Europe, Ltd. (STE) as mobile telecommunications development base in the UK
  • Establishes usability labs
  • Establishes Comprehensive Call Centers (Customer Assistance Centers) for handling customer inquiries
  • Establishes BRM (business risk management) Committee
2002
  • Ties up with El-Araby Group for air conditioning business in Egypt
  • Operations begin at Mihara Plant
  • Develops 3D LCD that can be switched between 2D and 3D formats
2003
  • Revises Sharp Business Standards and Action Guidelines; enacts Sharp Charter of Corporate Behavior
  • Launches Sharp Green Club (SGC)
  • SEMEX in Mexico begins production of AQUOS LCD TVs
  • Establishes consumer electronics R&D center in China
  • Constructs Mie Plant No. 3 to manufacture System LCDs
  • Changes name of small-group activities to R-CATS and starts unique activities
  • Establishes CSR Promotion Division
  • Develops reflective/transmissive Mobile Advanced Super View LCD
2004
  • Starts eS-SEM strategic management system
  • Operations begin at Kameyama Plant
  • Establishes Sharp Technical Components (Wuxi) Co., Ltd. as manufacturing base in China
  • Opens AQUOS Plaza sites in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka for the repair of large-screen AQUOS LCD TVs
  • Announces environmental vision of becoming a zero global warming impact company by 2010 (achieved in 2008)
2005
  • Takes part in Team Minus 6%, Cool Biz, and Warm Biz, three initiatives of Japan's Ministry of the Environment
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics Sales (China) Co., Ltd. (SESC) as sales base in China
  • Launches Sharp Yonago Corporation
  • Establishes Sharp Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (SMTL) as manufacturing base in Thailand (reorganization of STTM)
  • Establishes Sharp Group Charter of Corporate Behavior and Sharp Code of Conduct
  • Electronic calculators recognized as IEEE Milestone
2006
  • Establishes Sharp Manufacturing Poland Sp. z o.o. (SMPL) as manufacturing base in Poland
  • Kameyama Plant wins the Economy, Trade and Industry Minister’s Prize in the 8th Japan Water Award
  • Teams up with NPO Weathercaster Network to begin eco-education in elementary schools in Japan
2007
  • Corporate Senior Executive Director Mikio Katayama named president; President Katsuhiko Machida named chairman
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics Russia LLC (SER) as sales base in Russia
  • SEEG split into three separate entities for consumer electronics, information products, and solar power systems
  • Establishes Toyama Plant to manufacture silicon for solar cells
2008
  • Introduces executive officer system
  • Establishes Health and Environment Systems Group
  • Sharp Corporation attains Privacy Mark certification
  • Announces goal of becoming a total solutions provider for solar power
2009
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics (Vietnam) Company Limited (SVN) as sales base in Vietnam
  • Announces new environmental vision of becoming an Eco-Positive Company
  • Starts production of LCD panels at Green Front Sakai

2010 - 2019

2010
  • Akira Saeki, corporate senior advisor and former president, passes away
  • Develops high-conversion-efficiency solar cells
  • Starts production of solar cells at Green Front Sakai
  • Solar cell business recognized as IEEE Milestone
  • Establishes Sharp Corporation Mexico, S.A. de C.V. (SCMEX) as sales base in Mexico
  • Establishes Enel Green Power & Sharp Solar Energy S.r.l. (ESSE) as independent power producer in Italy
  • Establishes 3 Sun S.r.l. as manufacturing base in Italy
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics Research & Development (Nanjing) Co., Ltd. (SERD) as design and development base in China
  • Acquires Recurrent Energy, LLC, a US developer of solar power plants
2011
  • Establishes Sharp Laboratories of China Co., Ltd. (SLC) as R&D base in China
  • Establishes Sharp Solar Maintenance Asia Co., Ltd. (SSMA) as maintenance company for solar power plants in Thailand
  • Establishes Sharp Brasil Comércio e Distribuição de Artigos Eletrônicos Ltda. (SBCD) as sales base in Brazil
  • Establishes Sharp (China) Investment Co., Ltd. (SCIC) as Chinese headquarters
2012
  • Executive Managing Officer Takashi Okuda named president; President Mikio Katayama named chairman
  • Announces strategic global partnership with Hon Hai Group of Taiwan, a major electronic manufacturing service company
  • Starts mass production of LCD panels using IGZO (oxide semiconductor) technology
  • Establishes Sharp Electronics (Europe) Limited (SEE) as European headquarters in the UK
  • Moves Tokyo Branch (at the time) to Seavans South Building (Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
  • Celebrates 100th anniversary of company founding
2013
  • Reorganizes Japanese domestic sales companies: establishes Sharp Business Solutions Corporation (SBS) to handle B2B sales; changes name of solar energy-related sales company to Sharp Energy Solutions Corporation (SESJ)
  • Strengthens alliance with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. in LCD business and forms capital alliance with its Japanese subsidiary Samsung Electronics Japan Co., Ltd.
  • Starts production of IGZO LCD panels for notebook PCs
  • Construction completed on solar power plant in Thailand
  • Executive Vice President Kozo Takashi named president; Takashi Okuda named chairman
  • Starts operations of new home appliance plant in Karawang, Indonesia
  • Enters into business and capital tie-ups with Denso Corporation, Makita Corporation, and Lixil Corporation and issues new shares through third-party allotment with the three companies
  • Increases capital through public stock offering
  • Cumulative sales of products with Sharp’s proprietary Plasmacluster air purification technology reach 50 million units worldwide
2014
  • 50th anniversary since releasing the first calculator in Japan
  • Develops Free-Form Display that enables the creation of new display designs to match a variety of applications
  • 14-Inch TFT-LCD Recognized as IEEE Milestone
2015
  • Representative Director and Executive Vice President Shigeaki Mizushima named chairman
  • Issuance of Class Shares by third party allotment to Mizuho Bank Ltd., The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ. Ltd., and Japan Industrial Solutions
  • New FFD (Free Form Display) technology developed allowing designers to integrate a display of virtually any shape into their products
  • Releases 8K video monitor, world’s first product that conforms to the 8K standard image and supports HDR extended display at 8K resolution
2016
  • Announces strategic alliance with Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
  • Releases RoBoHoN, world’s first mobile robotic phone capable of walking on two legs
  • Reassignment to 2nd Section from 1st Section of Tokyo Stock Exchange
  • Head office relocated from Osaka City (22-22, Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka City) to Sakai City (1 Takumi-cho, Sakai-ku, Sakai City)
  • Sharp's shares of 388.8 billion yen in total subscribed to Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. and 3 others
  • J.W. Tai (Executive V.P. of Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd.) named president
  • Plasmacluster technology proven for the first time ever to reduce the risk of tuberculosis infection in tuberculosis hospitals
  • Establishes Sharp Jusda Logistics Corporation (SJL) and consolidates logistics-related businesses
  • Establishes ScienBiziP Japan Co., Ltd. (SBPJ) for handling intellectual property affairs
  • Announces new corporate motto “Be Original.”
2017
  • Merges with Sharp Manufacturing Systems Corporation (SMS), which handles production equipment, control devices, and medical-related equipment
  • Establishes Sharp Universal Technology (SZ) Co., Ltd. (SUT) for overseeing Sharp’s Chinese business; also establishes consumer electronics R&D center at SUT
  • Acquires shares of Skytec UMC Ltd. to relaunch LCD TV business in Europe
  • Plasmacluster recognized by the Guinness World Records® as the best-selling air purifier brand of 2015
  • Releases cooler bags and other products that make use of cold-storage material created at Tekion Lab, Sharp’s first in-house startup
  • Introduces stock option system
  • Transitions from a company with an audit and supervisory board to a company with an audit and supervisory committee
  • Changes unit of shares (trading unit) of common shares from 1,000 to 100 shares (consolidates shares 10-to-1)
  • Reorganizes Japanese domestic sales and service companies and merges them into Sharp Business Solutions Corporation (SBS); changes name to Sharp Marketing Japan Corporation (SMJ)
  • Releases world’s first 8K-compatible LCD TV in China in October and in Japan in December
  • Sharp Corporation’s common shares relisted on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange
2018
  • Signs sponsorship agreement with professional soccer team Cerezo Osaka
  • Acquires Kantatsu Co., Ltd., a company that has its strengths in micro-lens units for smartphone cameras
  • Sharp Energy Solutions Corporation (SESJ) takes over a portion of Sharp Corporation’s energy solutions business
  • For the first time in a decade, Sharp records profits for all four quarters in fiscal 2017; business recovery allows Sharp to pay dividends for the first time in six years
  • Sharp Energy Solutions (SESJ) receives orders for and constructs mega solar power plants in Vietnam, Mongolia, and Indonesia
  • Acquires Toshiba Client Solutions Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation that handles Dynabook brand PCs
  • Starts mass production of OLED displays at the Sakai Plant and Mie (Taki) Plant
  • Releases string of 8K products, including the world’s first 8K tuner capable of receiving new 4K8K satellite broadcasts, an AQUOS 8K LCD TV with built-in 8K tuner, and an 8K-compatible USB hard drive
  • Releases AQUOS zero, equipped with Sharp’s OLED display and weighing 146 grams, the world’s lightest smartphone
2019
  • Reorganizes business organization into the three business groups of Smart Life, 8K Ecosystem, and ICT
  • Spins off the electronic device business to establish Sharp Fukuyama Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (SFS) and Sharp Fukuyama Laser Co., Ltd. (SFL)
  • Develops 5th-generation IGZO, an evolution of Sharp’s display core technology
  • Begins providing COCORO Home, a new smart home service combining appliances and services of Sharp and other companies
  • Full-scale launch of the TEKION LAB business under the Sharp brand, with the release of the TEKION COOLER bag
  • Takes part in the Life Up Promotion project of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
  • Establishes Sharp Cocoro Life Inc. to provide COCORO services and AIoT Cloud Inc. to provide AIoT platforms
  • Develops a 120-inch class 8K LCD monitor, the world’s largest
  • Co-develops with Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) a rollable 30-inch 4K flexible organic OLED display
  • AIoT Cloud Inc. starts providing a business communication service called LINC Biz, offering chat and teleconferencing/videoconferencing functions

2020 -

2020
  • Establishes Sharp Manufacturing Vietnam Co., Ltd. (SMV) for the design and manufacture of electronic devices in Vietnam
  • Establishes Yantai Xiazhi Precision Electronics Co., Ltd. (XZ) in China for the development, manufacture, and sales of production equipment and electronic components
  • Launches production of nonwoven face masks at the Mie Plant; starts sales to general consumers
  • Chairman and President Jeng-Wu Tai named Chairman and CEO; Executive Vice President Katsuaki Nomura named President and COO
  • AIoT Cloud Inc. launches collaboration in gas equipment with Osaka Gas Co., Ltd and other companies; also starts providing consumer electronics data to Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc
  • Starts providing COCORO OFFICE, a smart office service to support telework and operational efficiency
  • Establishes XiaYan Technology(ShanDong) Co.,Ltd. (XT) in China as an R&D base for 8K technology and a provider of 8K solutions
  • Verifies for the first time in the world the effectiveness of Plasmacluster technology in reducing airborne novel coronavirus
  • Announces a company-wide policy of strengthening business in health, medicine, and nursing
  • Spins off the display device business to establish Sharp Display Technology Corporation (SDTC)
  • Acquires the Hakusan Plant from Japan Display Inc.
  • Acquires NEC Display Solutions, a subsidiary of NEC Corporation; name changed to Sharp NEC Display Solutions, Ltd. (SNDS)
2021
  • Enters field of constant-temperature transport of pharmaceuticals such as vaccines through collaboration with Sugiyama-Gen Co., Ltd. to develop products including constant-temperature transport container sets using Sharp’s 3°C Tekion cold-retention material
  • Spins off camera module business to establish Sharp Sensing Technology Corporation (SSTC)
  • Completes cancellation of all classes of shares
  • AQUOS TV marks 20th anniversary (reaches cumulative sales of 50 million)
  • Releases the AQUOS R6 smartphone, with 1-inch camera sensor, among world’s largest for smartphones, and Pro IGZO OLED display, the first with a variable refresh rate of 1 Hz to 240 Hz, through a technology tie-up with Leica Camera AG
  • Signs joint development agreement with Nikon Corporation on the implementation of biomimetics technology (nature technology)
  • Enters hearing aid market with release of Medical Listening Plug, an in-the-ear hearing aid
  • Sharp’s proprietary moth eye technology, Plasmacluster technology, and visible light-responsive photocatalyst material demonstrated to inactivate and reduce novel virus
  • Releases AQUOS XLED, a new TV brand with mini LED backlight
  • Worldwide shipments of Plasmacluster products reach cumulative total of 100 million units
2022
  • Develops TEKIjuN, the world’s first solid humidity-control agent, which adjusts and maintains target humidity in airtight spaces
  • Philips Hue smart lights by Signify Japan become the first non-Sharp IoT appliances to work with the COCORO HOME smart life app.
  • Document solutions business marks 50th anniversary
  • Enters skincare market by releasing Medicated Crystaliq skincare items
  • With restructuring of the Tokyo Stock Exchange into three market segments, Sharp shares are listed on the Prime Market
  • Chairman Jeng-Wu Tai and President Katsuaki Nomura step down, Executive Managing Officer Po-Hsuan Wu named president and CEO; new management structure launched
  • Announces policy to execute management emphasizing ESG
  • Acquires Sakai Display Products Corporation (SDP)
  • Achieves a conversion efficiency of 32.65%, the world’s highest, in a lightweight, flexible, practically sized solar module
  • Develops LC-LH, an indoor photovoltaic device that can efficiently generate electricity from weak indoor light. The device can be mass-produced at significantly low cost and high quality using LCD production facilities.
  • Verifies the effectiveness of Plasmacluster technology in a series of tests, such as its potential to alleviate asthma symptoms in a test using human airway epithelial cells created from stem cell culture
2023
  • Signs an agreement with the city of Yao, Osaka Prefecture to collaborate in citizens’ health promotion
  • Establishes NTT Qonoq Devices, Inc., a joint venture with NTT Qonoq, Inc., to develop and spread the use of XR (VR, AR, etc.) devices
  • Sharp’s unique hole-less tub washing machine marks 30th anniversary
  • Builds new air conditioner plant at P.T. Sharp Electronics Indonesia (SEID) in Karawang Regency, Indonesia; starts production and shipping
  • Verifies for the first time in the world the potential for Plasmacluster technology to induce brain activation
  • Joins the GX League, organized by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which aims to transform Japan’s overall economic and social system

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