Toshiba Group Celebrates 150 Years of Innovation

Our journey began in 1875, when inventor Hisashige Tanaka established what would later become Tanaka Seizo-sho in Ginza, under a sign that read, “We welcome orders for inventions of all types of machinery.” In 1890, Dr. Ichisuke Fujioka founded Hakunetsu-sha with the belief that “electric light should be the light of the people,” and lit Japan’s first domestically produced incandescent lamp—laying the foundation for Japan’s electric industry. These two pioneering businesses grew and eventually merged in 1939 to form Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co., Ltd., the predecessor of today’s Toshiba Corporation.

Over the past 150 years, Toshiba Group has constantly risen to meet the challenges of each era—leveraging innovations in energy, infrastructure, devices, and digital domains to address pressing societal issues. From streetlights that illuminated Japan’s modernization, to home appliances that changed our daily life, word processors and PCs that transformed the way we work, and flash memory that laid the foundations for today’s data-driven society – we have remained at the forefront of change, advancing society through technology. Today, we continue to confront global-scale challenges such as climate change and aging infrastructure, while pursuing next-generation innovations such as quantum technology and fusion power. At the heart of these efforts lives the spirit of our founders – their restless curiosity and passion. Read more.