Corporate History

Panasonic starts with a desire to create things of value. As hard work and dedication result in one innovative product after another, the fledgling company takes its first steps towards becoming the electronics giant of today.

Birth of Panasonic

	Corporate History	Product Timeline
1894	From birth to the founding of the company
1918	Panasonic launched	Improved Attachment Plug
1920	Establishment of the "Hoichi-Kai"	Double Cluster Socket
1922	First head office and factory established
1923	Bullet-shaped bicycle lamp developed and marketed	Bullet-shaped Battery-powered Bicycle Light
1927	Square bicycle lamp developed and marketed	Super Electric Iron
	Super iron marketed
	Communication media published
1929	Management objective and company creed announced
1931	Tradition of celebrating the first shipment of each year instituted	First 3-tube Radio
1931	Radio production started
1932	First commemoration of company founding held
1933	New head office and factory constructed in Kadoma
	Konosuke Matsushita institutes divisional system
	Motor development and production launched
1934	Employee Training Institute opens	1/2-horsepower, 3-phase Induction Motor
1935	Pricing policy based on co-existence and mutual prosperity philosophy
	Trading company established
	Rules and regulations issued
1939	Public tv broadcasts successfully tested
1941	War in the pacific breaks out

Birth of Panasonic

	Corporate History	Product Timeline
1894	From birth to the founding of the company
1918	Panasonic launched	Improved Attachment Plug
1920	Establishment of the "Hoichi-Kai"	Double Cluster Socket
1922	First head office and factory established
1923	Bullet-shaped bicycle lamp developed and marketed	Bullet-shaped Battery-powered Bicycle Light
1927	Square bicycle lamp developed and marketed	Super Electric Iron
	Super iron marketed
	Communication media published
1929	Management objective and company creed announced
1931	Tradition of celebrating the first shipment of each year instituted	First 3-tube Radio
1931	Radio production started
1932	First commemoration of company founding held
1933	New head office and factory constructed in Kadoma
	Konosuke Matsushita institutes divisional system
	Motor development and production launched
1934	Employee Training Institute opens	1/2-horsepower, 3-phase Induction Motor
1935	Pricing policy based on co-existence and mutual prosperity philosophy
	Trading company established
	Rules and regulations issued
1939	Public tv broadcasts successfully tested
1941	War in the pacific breaks out

	Corporate History	Product Timeline
1945	Up from ashes
1946	Postwar period of hardship
1951	Matsushita makes his first visit to the United States	Agitator-type Washing Machine
1952	Technical cooperation agreement with Philips linked	17-inch Monochrome TV
1951-54	Sales and finance companies established
1953	Construction of the Central Research Laboratory	Electric Refrigerator
1954		5-tube Personal Radio
1954		4-tube 1-band Portable Radio
1956	Announcement of Five-year Plan	Automatic Rice Cooker
	Beginning of the home appliance era
	New factories built
1958		Tape Recorder
1958		Home Air Conditioner
1959	Establishment of Matsushita Electric Corporation of America (MECA)

	Corporate History	Product Timeline
1945	Up from ashes
1946	Postwar period of hardship
1951	Matsushita makes his first visit to the United States	Agitator-type Washing Machine
1952	Technical cooperation agreement with Philips linked	17-inch Monochrome TV
1951-54	Sales and finance companies established
1953	Construction of the Central Research Laboratory	Electric Refrigerator
1954		5-tube Personal Radio
1954		4-tube 1-band Portable Radio
1956	Announcement of Five-year Plan	Automatic Rice Cooker
	Beginning of the home appliance era
	New factories built
1958		Tape Recorder
1958		Home Air Conditioner
1959	Establishment of Matsushita Electric Corporation of America (MECA)

	Corporate History	Product Timeline
1961	Overseas manufacturing rapidly built-up
1961	Company organized with Konosuke Matsushita as chairman and Masaharu Matsushita as president
1960-65	Establishment of Corporate Special Equipment Sales and Corporate Housing Equipment Sales Divisions	Color TV
1962		Facsimile Machine for Office Use (SD/LD Series)
1963	Service Division established
1964	Atami conference held
1965	Reorganization of the sales and distribution network
1965	Establishment of the five-day work week
1966	Rapid growth phase entered	Home Microwave Oven
1967		Radio Cassette Recorder
1968	Panasonic's 50th anniversary marked	Zinc Oxide Varistor ZNR
1969	Technological exhibition held	Fully-automated Component Insertion Machine "Panasert"
1970	Pavilion erected at Expo'70	Direct-drive Turntable
1970	Panasonic meets the consumer movement
1971	Panasonic shares traded on NYSE Nixon dollar shock
1973	Konosuke Matsushita retires to the position of executive adviser
1973	The oil crisis
1977	The company builds a new management team with Toshihiko Yamashita as president and Masaharu Matsushita as chairman	VHS Video Tape Recorder with up to 4-hour Recording Capability
1977	VHS-standard VCR marketed	Thin Radio
1979		Paper-thin Battery

	Corporate History	Product Timeline
1961	Overseas manufacturing rapidly built-up
1961	Company organized with Konosuke Matsushita as chairman and Masaharu Matsushita as president
1960-65	Establishment of Corporate Special Equipment Sales and Corporate Housing Equipment Sales Divisions	Color TV
1962		Facsimile Machine for Office Use (SD/LD Series)
1963	Service Division established
1964	Atami conference held
1965	Reorganization of the sales and distribution network
1965	Establishment of the five-day work week
1966	Rapid growth phase entered	Home Microwave Oven
1967		Radio Cassette Recorder
1968	Panasonic's 50th anniversary marked	Zinc Oxide Varistor ZNR
1969	Technological exhibition held	Fully-automated Component Insertion Machine "Panasert"
1970	Pavilion erected at Expo'70	Direct-drive Turntable
1970	Panasonic meets the consumer movement
1971	Panasonic shares traded on NYSE Nixon dollar shock
1973	Konosuke Matsushita retires to the position of executive adviser
1973	The oil crisis
1977	The company builds a new management team with Toshihiko Yamashita as president and Masaharu Matsushita as chairman	VHS Video Tape Recorder with up to 4-hour Recording Capability
1977	VHS-standard VCR marketed	Thin Radio
1979		Paper-thin Battery

	Corporate History	Product Timeline
1982		CD Player
1983	ACTION 86 initiated
1985		VHS Camcorder
1986	Akio Tanii becomes president
1987	Joint venture company with Beijing established
1988	MET merges with MEI
1989	Death of company founder Konosuke Matsushita
1990	Addition of MCA to the Panasonic group	Notebook Personal Computer
1991	Environmental charter set forth	1/2-inch Broadcasting Digital VTR "D-3"
		Cellular Phone "Mova P"
		Rewritable Optical Disc Recorder
1992	Information and Communications Systems Center opens
1993	A new departure under Yoichi Morishita	Bulb-type Fluorescent Lights "Palook ball"
1993	Matsushita Dissolves Partnership with Philips
1994		Lithium Ion Rechargeable Battery
1995	80 Percent of MCA Share Sold to Seagram Co. Ltd.
1996	Releasing the Industry's First-ever Digital Mobile Phone Weighing Less than 100g	DVD Player
1996		Plasma Display
1997	Introducing the System of Internal Division Companies	DVD Car Navigation System
1998	Celebrating the 80th Anniversary of Our Founding	DVCPRO Series Video System
	Digital Television Sets Released in the US	Portable DVD player
		Digital TVs for the U.S.
2000	Kunio Nakamura Assumes the Position of President
2000	A Time Capsule Is Opened for the First Time in 30 Years
2001	Domestic Consumer Products Sales and Distribution System Reformed
2003	The Group Gets a New Start by Dividing into Business Domains
2003	Unification under the Global Brand "Panasonic" Delivering to the World the Global Brand Slogan "Panasonic ideas for life"
2004	Toward a Comprehensive Partnership with Matsushita Electric Works
2004	Stone Monument Erected to Mark Where Founder Konosuke Matsushita Started the Business
2005	Amagasaki Plant for plasma display panels starts operation
2006	President Ohtsubo Takes the Helm
2007	Announcement of the "Eco Ideas Declaration" Bringing to People of the World an Eco Mindset That is One Step Evolved
2008	Company name change from Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. to "Panasonic Corporation" and corporate brand unified as "Panasonic" worldwide
2009	Making SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. a consolidated subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation
2011	Making Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd. and SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. wholly-owned subsidiaries
2012	Kazuhiro Tsuga becomes the president of Panasonic Corporation
2013	President Tsuga delivers a keynote speech at "2013 International CES"
2013	Launched the 4-Company system with a business division as the basic unit of management
2014	Relaunched Technics, the business brand exclusively for high-quality audio products
2014	Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town (SST) marked its grand opening
2016	Laying a solid foundation for new business growth
2018	Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Our Founding

	Corporate History	Product Timeline
1982		CD Player
1983	ACTION 86 initiated
1985		VHS Camcorder
1986	Akio Tanii becomes president
1987	Joint venture company with Beijing established
1988	MET merges with MEI
1989	Death of company founder Konosuke Matsushita
1990	Addition of MCA to the Panasonic group	Notebook Personal Computer
1991	Environmental charter set forth	1/2-inch Broadcasting Digital VTR "D-3"
		Cellular Phone "Mova P"
		Rewritable Optical Disc Recorder
1992	Information and Communications Systems Center opens
1993	A new departure under Yoichi Morishita	Bulb-type Fluorescent Lights "Palook ball"
1993	Matsushita Dissolves Partnership with Philips
1994		Lithium Ion Rechargeable Battery
1995	80 Percent of MCA Share Sold to Seagram Co. Ltd.
1996	Releasing the Industry's First-ever Digital Mobile Phone Weighing Less than 100g	DVD Player
1996		Plasma Display
1997	Introducing the System of Internal Division Companies	DVD Car Navigation System
1998	Celebrating the 80th Anniversary of Our Founding	DVCPRO Series Video System
	Digital Television Sets Released in the US	Portable DVD player
		Digital TVs for the U.S.
2000	Kunio Nakamura Assumes the Position of President
2000	A Time Capsule Is Opened for the First Time in 30 Years
2001	Domestic Consumer Products Sales and Distribution System Reformed
2003	The Group Gets a New Start by Dividing into Business Domains
2003	Unification under the Global Brand "Panasonic" Delivering to the World the Global Brand Slogan "Panasonic ideas for life"
2004	Toward a Comprehensive Partnership with Matsushita Electric Works
2004	Stone Monument Erected to Mark Where Founder Konosuke Matsushita Started the Business
2005	Amagasaki Plant for plasma display panels starts operation
2006	President Ohtsubo Takes the Helm
2007	Announcement of the "Eco Ideas Declaration" Bringing to People of the World an Eco Mindset That is One Step Evolved
2008	Company name change from Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. to "Panasonic Corporation" and corporate brand unified as "Panasonic" worldwide
2009	Making SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. a consolidated subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation
2011	Making Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd. and SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. wholly-owned subsidiaries
2012	Kazuhiro Tsuga becomes the president of Panasonic Corporation
2013	President Tsuga delivers a keynote speech at "2013 International CES"
2013	Launched the 4-Company system with a business division as the basic unit of management
2014	Relaunched Technics, the business brand exclusively for high-quality audio products
2014	Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town (SST) marked its grand opening
2016	Laying a solid foundation for new business growth
2018	Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Our Founding

Corporate History

Birth of Panasonic

Birth of Panasonic

1945-1959

1960-1979

1980-

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