It then reorganized its factories, under the control of the American army, to manufacture spectacle lenses, in 1946, then the first Nikon brand camera, the 35 mm rangefinder with interchangeable lens which came out in 1948. Nikon also launched into the photographic industry in 1930, but this activity remained marginal until 1945, when Nikon had to find civilian outlets.
at full capacity, employing nearly 23,000 people. During World War II, Nikon went from one to 19 rotating manufacturing plants. In 1935, Seiki Kogaku (later Canon) asked Nippon Kogaku to deliver lenses for his rangefinder camera, a situation that lasted until 1947. Nikon first devoted itself to the manufacture of military equipment (binoculars, sights) and took off in 1930 the Washington Treaty of 1922 having limited the size of the Japanese war fleet, the Ministry of the Navy decided on an intensive scientific program to provide each naval unit with the ultimate in optical technology (periscope, range finder), and thus compensate for the advance taken by the British and Americans in electronics. The founder of Nikon is Koyata Iwasaki, former chairman of the Mitsubishi group. Thus, from 1963 to 1968 the Nikon F bore the name “Nikkor” and no longer Nikon. This caused some problems in Germany, as Zeiss complained that Nikon was borrowing its trademark. The name Nikon, which dates from 1946, is an amalgamation of Nippon Kōgaku (日本 光学, "Japanese optics") and the Ikon brand of Zeiss. It was renamed the Nikon Corporation (株式会社 ニ コ ン) in 1988, using the name of its cameras. The company was initially called Nippon Kōgaku Kōgyō (日本 光學 工業 株式會社) (in French "Japanese optic S.A."). Precision industrial equipment: scanners, LCD steppers, lithography systems.ĭiagnostic instruments: microscopes and retinal imaging devices.īut also: industrial measuring instruments, ophthalmic lenses, binoculars, telescopes, magnifying glasses, etc.Īt the request of the Japanese government, concerned about the superiority demonstrated by the German army during the Great War in the field of optics (lenses for range finders, binoculars), Nikon was founded on July 25, 1917, through the merger of three manufacturers market leaders (Tokyo Keiki Seisaku Sho, Iwaki Glass Manufacturing and Fujii Lens Seizo Sho), with the strategy of manufacturing quality lenses, especially for microscopes. Nikon (ニ コ ン) is a Japanese manufacturer of cameras and optics: