"Nippon Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Nikon) was founded in 1917 as an optical weapons instrument shop to satisfy Imperial Japanese Navy’s goal of self-sufficiency in optical munitions by reducing or eliminating overseas suppliers. The company mainly worked on German designs producing precision optical instruments such as telescopes, microscopes, binoculars, range finders and surveying equipment. It was only after the Second World War that it made forays into consumer camera market.
Imperial Japanese Navy asks Nikon to Develop Cameras
Nikon itself states that “… it was primarily in response to the demands of the Navy that [Nippon Kogaku] took up camera research.” London Naval Conference of 1930 and the Naval Supplementary Bill promoted the Japanese Navy to try to reduce its dependence on France and it started asking Nippon Kogaku to design and manufacture cameras for reconnaissance aircrafts. Soon the company was producing complex cameras for the Navy".
Celebrating the 90th anniversary of Nikon as an imaging technology world-leader.
Nikon History
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