List of Japanese inventions and discoveries

See also: List of Japanese inventions and discoveries (since 1980)

This is a list of Japanese inventions and discoveries. Japanese pioneers have made contributions across a number of scientific, technological and art domains. In particular, Japan has played a crucial role in the digital revolution since the 20th century, with many modern revolutionary and widespread technologies in fields such as electronics and robotics introduced by Japanese inventors and entrepreneurs. Japan's technological boom during the mid-to-late 20th century was central to the third industrial revolution and information revolution.

Pre-7th century

A Japanese folding fan (sensu).

• Ainu folk music
  • Mukkuri
  • Rekuhkara
• Amappo
• Hōgaku (traditional Japanese music)
  • Japanese musical scales
  • Okinawan music
  • Ryukyuan music
  • Wagakki (traditional Japanese musical instruments)

The Great Wave off Kanagawa (1831) by Hokusai, using the ukiyo-e style of Japanese art.

• Japanese art
  • Japanese architecture
• Japanese cuisine
  • Rice ball (onigiri) — Dates back more than 2,000 years, found at an archaeological site in Ishikawa Prefecture.
• Japanese games
• Japanese martial arts
  • Budō
  • Mixed martial arts (MMA) — The origins of mixed martial arts in Japan dates back to ancient times.
  • Sumo — According to the Nihon Shoki, published in 720, the origin of sumo is the contest of strength between Nomi no Sukune and Taima no Kehaya in 26 BC.
• Kyūdō
  • Ya (arrow)
  • Yabusame
• Yumi

4th century

Bowl of Sushi, art produced by Hiroshige (1797–1858) depicting sushi.

• Japanese armour
• Sushi

5th century

• Fue (flute)
• Japanese literature
• Nihontō (Japanese sword)
  • Japanese swordsmithing
  • Tsurugi (sword)
• Kabuto

6th century

Women playing the Shamisen, Tsuzumi and Taiko in Meiji Japan.

• Chokutō
• Folding fan — The folding hand fan was invented in Japan, with dates ranging from the 6th to 9th centuries.
• Japanese mathematics
• Kōgoishi
• Taiko (wadaiko)
• Tamahagane
• Tatara (furnace)

7th–18th centuries

• Kusari (Japanese mail armour)
• Ramen

7th century

Hōryū-ji (607), the oldest wooden building with Earthquake resistance.

• Earthquake resistance — Shinbashira-based Japanese pagodas and Buddhist temples are the oldest earthquake-resistant structures. Earliest is Hōryū-ji built in 607.
  • Japanese pagoda — The Japanese pagoda originates from the Chinese pagoda, but was adapted for Japan's environment, such as the addition of a Shinbashira pillar.
  • Tuned mass damper (shinbashira) — Earliest example is the shinbashira technology used in Japanese pagodas and temples dating back to Hōryū-ji (607).
  • Wooden building — Hōryū-ji (607) is the oldest wooden building.
• Gagaku
  • Biwa
  • Koto (instrument)
  • Shakuhachi
  • Tsuzumi
• Japanese kitchen knife
• Japanese philosophy
• Kampo (Japanese medicine)
• Tosogu (Japanese sword mountings)
• Science fiction — Japanese science fiction genre of Mirai-ki ("records of the future") dates back to the 7th century. Famous early example is Urashima Tarō (8th century).
• Wadokei (Japanese clock)

8th century

A katana (1819).

• Blotting paper — Cosmetic oil blotting paper dates back to the Heian period (794–1185) and gained popularity during the Edo period (1603–1867).
  • Washi — The washi papermaking technique was developed in Japan during the Heian period (794–1185).
  • Screen printing (ise katagami) — Screen printing originates from Japanese ise katagami, in turn influenced by block printing from China.
• Ikebana
• Isekai — The concept has origins in the story of fisherman Urashima Tarō (8th century), who saves a turtle and is brought to a wondrous undersea kingdom.
  • Time travel — Time travel in fiction dates back to the tale of Urashima Tarō from the Mukashibanashi (8th century).
  • Yōkai
• Jujutsu — A Japanese martial art style evolved among the samurai of feudal Japan for defeating an armed and armored opponent without weapons.
• Katana — The word katana first appears in the Nihon Shoki (720).
  • Wakizashi
  • Kanabō
• Oshiroi
• Pictorial narrative (emaki) — Emaki pictorial narratives originate from 8th-century Buddhist temples in Japan.
• Shō (instrument)
• Shōmyō

9th century

• Tahōtō — Tahōtō is a form of Japanese pagoda found primarily at Esoteric Shingon and Tendai school Buddhist temples. Unlike most pagodas, it has two stories.
• Origami — Folded paper were used for decorations and tools in Shinto ceremonies, where decorations and gifts in folded paper became stylized as ceremonial origami.
• War fan (tessen)

10th century

Kaguya-hime returning to the Moon in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (10th century).

• Bushido
  • Tantō
• Extraterrestrials in fiction — The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (10th century) is considered to be the first story about an extraterrestrial visiting Earth.
  • Flying saucer — The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (10th century) has an early manuscript illustration of a round flying machine similar to a flying saucer.
• Min'yō
  • Horagai
• Novel — Ochikubo Monogatari (10th century) has been called the "world's first full-length novel".

11th century

The Tale of Genji (11th century), an early novel.

• Concealed weapon — Several early concealed weapons were invented in classical Japan, known as kakushibuki (concealed weapon) or hibuki (secret weapon).
  • Shuriken — The most famous Japanese concealed weapon, the Shuriken was invented during the Gosannen War in the 11th century.
• Kawaii — Roots date back to The Pillow Book (1002).
• Historical novel — The Tale of Genji (11th century) is considered to be the first historical novel.
• Psychological novel — The Tale of Genji (11th century) is considered to be the first psychological novel.

12th century

Hokusai Manga (18th century), an early manga comic book.

• Bento
• Comic (manga) — History of manga dates back to 12th century Japanese scrolls. During the Edo period (1603–1867), Toba Ehon embedded the concept of manga.
• E-toki — Originates from the Chōjū-giga in 12th-century Japan.
• Hichiriki
• Japanese mode — A pentatonic musical scale commonly used in traditional Japanese music.
• Kama (tool)
  • Kusarigama
• Ninja
  • Ninjutsu — Developed by groups of people mainly from the Iga Province and Kōka, Shiga of Japan.
  • Togakure-ryū — Different ryū (schools) taught versions of ninjutsu, such as the Togakure-ryū.
• Samurai
  • Naginata
  • Taijutsu
• Shogi
  • Dai shogi
  • Heian shogi
• Tessenjutsu

14th century

Nagoya Castle (1612), a Japanese castle.

• Gunbai
• Japanese castle — Fortresses constructed primarily out of stone and wood used for military defence in strategic locations.
• Noh — A historical genre of Japanese theatre that originated from sarugaku in the mid‑14th century.
  • Psychological horror — Psychological Japanese horror has roots in classical Japanese Noh theatre.
• Kenpō
  • Okinawan martial arts — Okinawans combined Chinese Chuan Fa (introduced in the 14th century) with the existing martial art of Te to form Tō-de (Okinawa-te).
  • Karate — Began as a common fighting system known as "ti" (or "te") among the pechin class of the Ryukyuans. Motobu‑ryū school was passed down by Seikichi Uehara.
• Soroban (mechanical calculator) — An abacus mechanical calculator developed in Japan. Derived from the Chinese suanpan, imported to Japan in the 14th century.
• Yukar

16th century

Origami paper cranes (orizuru)

• Go (modern rules) — Though the game originated in China, free opening of the game as it is played globally began in 16th century Japan.
• Hanafuda
• Kobudō
  • Fukiya
  • Kendo
  • Shinai
  • Tanegashima (gun)
• Paper crane (orizuru) — One of the Japanese sword mountings (kozuka) by Gotō Eijō (1500s–1600s) was decorated with a picture of a crane made of origami.
• Pepper spray (metsubushi) — An early form of pepper spray was metsubushi, used by samurai in feudal Japan as a form of policing.
• Shamisen
• Sho shogi

17th century

Kunisada (c. 1830) depicting Horibe Yasubee (c.1700) holding a gandō, an early flashlight.

• Agar — Agar was discovered in Japan around 1658 by Mino Tarōzaemon.
• Beigoma
• Calculus — Seki Kōwa (1642–1708) founded Enri, a mathematical system with the same purpose as calculus.
  • Determinant — Introduced by Seki Kōwa in 1683 to study elimination of variables in higher‑order algebraic equations, to give shorthand representation for the resultant.
  • Elimination theory — In 1683 (Kai-Fukudai-no-Hō), Seki Kōwa came up with elimination theory, based on resultant.
  • Resultant — In 1683, Seki Kōwa came up with elimination theory, based on resultant. To express resultant, he developed the notion of determinant.
• Chashi
• Flashlight (gyroscope) — In 17th century Edo Japan, the gandō was a gyroscopic lantern used like a flashlight. It consists of a barrel-shaped tube with a rotating candlestick.
• Kabuki — A genre of Japanese theatre developed by female dancer Okuni in the early 17th century.
  • Kumadori

Karakuri puppet (c. 1800), an early humanoid robot automata.

• Karakuri puppet (humanoid robot) — A type of mechanized humanoid automata produced in Japan from the 17th century to the 19th century.
• Kokugaku — A school of Japanese philology and philosophy originating during the Edo period.
• Netsuke — A miniature sculpture, originating in 17th-century Japan.
• Richardson extrapolation — Takebe Katahiro used Richardson extrapolation in 1695, about 200 years earlier than Richardson.
• Rock paper scissors (jan-ken) — Jan-ken, a 17th-century Japanese variation of Chinese ken games, introduced the modern moves of rock, paper and scissors.
  • Shiritori

• Sangaku — Japanese geometric puzzles on wooden tablets created during the Edo period (1603–1867) by members of all social classes. Introduced to Europe in the 1790s.
• Shurikenjutsu
• Tonkori

• Ukiyo-e — Japanese woodblock printing art that originates from 17th century Edo Japan.

18th century

Seki Kōwa's Katsuyo Sampo (1712), tabulating binomial coefficients and Bernoulli numbers.

• 3D image (stereopticon) — In 1718, the nozomi megane in Edo Japan was a 3D image viewing apparatus similar to a stereopticon, used for megane-e and uki-e art.
  • Color printing (nishiki-e) — In the mid-18th century, Suzuki Harunobu invented nishiki-e, a type of multi-color woodblock printing in Japan, used for ukiyo-e art.

• Bernoulli number — Studied by Seki Kōwa and published after his death in 1712, a year before Jacob Bernoulli independently rediscovered the concept.
  • Mathematics of paper folding
• Comic book (kibyoshi) — Kibyoshi picture books from the late 18th century were the first comic books. These graphical narratives share themes with modern manga.

• Electrostatic generator (erekiteru) — The erekiteru was an early electrostatic generator invented by Hiraga Gennai in 1776.
• Futures contract — The first futures exchange market was the Dōjima Rice Exchange in Japan in the 1730s.
  • Candlestick chart — Candlestick charts have been developed in the 18th century by Munehisa Homma, a Japanese rice trader of financial instruments.
• Gomoku — Historical records indicate the origins of gomoku can be traced back to the mid-1700s during the Edo period. By 1850, books had been published on gomoku.
• Life hack (urawaza) — Early Japanese life hacks called urazawa date back centuries.
• Pararayki
• Revolving stage — Invented for the Kabuki theatre in Japan during the 18th century.

19th century

See also: History of science and technology in Japan

Katsudō Shashin (1907), an early anime.

• Animation (anime) — History of anime dates back to early 19th century Edo Japan, where utsushi-e was an early form of animation.
  • Animation projector (utsushi-e) — In early 19th century Edo Japan, utsushi-e was an animation projector with image slides projected on a screen, like a magic lantern.
• Fortune cookie (tsujiura senbei) — Originates from 19th‑century Japan. In the late 19th century, Japanese immigrants introduced modern fortune cookies in America.

Kishitsu Geryō Zukan (Surgical Casebook) by Hanaoka Seishu (c. 1825).

• General anesthesia — Hanaoka Seishū was the first surgeon who used the general anaesthesia in surgery, in 1804.
  • Surgical operations — Hanaoka Seishū dared to operate on cancers of the breast and oropharynx, remove necrotic bone, and perform amputations of extremities.
  • Japanese healthcare
• Japanese theorem for cyclic polygons — This mathematical result comes from a sangaku tablet dated 1800.
• Kamishibai (paper theatre) — Evolving from emaki and e-toki pictorial narrative traditions, kamishibai emerged by the late 19th century in Meiji Japan.
• Myriad year clock — Universal clock designed by the Japanese inventor Hisashige Tanaka in 1851. It belongs to the category of Japanese clocks called Wadokei.
• Rickshaw (pulled rickshaw) — A passenger cart serving as human-powered transport. The first pulled rickshaw was invented in Japan circa 1869.
• Self-service (unmanned store) — A long tradition in rural Japan. At mujin hanbai stalls, customers take products and leave payment in a container.
• Soddy's hexlet — Irisawa Shintarō Hiroatsu analyzed Soddy's hexlet on a sangaku tablet in 1822 and was the first person to do so.

1880s

Vitamin B supplement tablets containing Thiamine (Vitamin B1)

• Dry cell battery — In 1885, Sakizō Yai invented the world's first dry cell battery in Meiji era Japan and founded Yai Dry Battery Limited Partnership Company.
  • Battery-powered electric clock — In 1885, Sakizō Yai invented a continuous electric clock powered by wet-cell batteries.
• Ekiben
• Ephedrine synthesis — In 1885, the chemical synthesis of ephedrine was first accomplished by Japanese organic chemist Nagai Nagayoshi.
  • Clostridium tetani (tetanus bacillus) — Discovered by Kitasato Shibasaburō in 1889. He was nominated for the first Nobel Prize in 1901.
• Japanese theorem for cyclic quadrilaterals — This geometry theorem was originally stated on a sangaku tablet in 1880.

All-Japan Judo Championships, 2007 men's final.

• Judo (Kodokan) — It was created as a physical, mental and moral pedagogy in Japan, in 1882, by Kanō Jigorō.
• Murata rifle
• Puroresu — Professional wrestling in Japan dates back to the 1880s.
• Redemption game — Dates back to Tamakorogashi, an arcade game in 1880s Japan, localized as Japanese Roll Ball in 1900s America.
• Vitamin (vitamin B1) — In 1884, Kanehiro Takaki attributed beriberi to protein deficiency. In 1910, Umetaro Suzuki succeeded in extracting thiamine (vitamin B1).

1890s

Chemical structure of methamphetamine.

• Asian cinema (Japanese cinema)
  • Jidaigeki
• Autonomation
• Methamphetamine (meth) — First synthesized from ephedrine in Japan in 1894 by chemist Nagayoshi Nagai.
  • Shigella — Discovered by Kiyoshi Shiga in 1897.
• Renju — A professional variant of the board game gomoku. It was named renju by journalist Ruikou Kuroiwa in 1899.
• Shimose powder — An explosive powder invented by Shimose Masachika and deployed by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1893.
  • Arisaka
  • Type 30 bayonet
• Takadiastase — Form of diastase due to microscopic fungus Aspergillus oryzae. Takamine Jōkichi developed the method first used for its extraction circa 1890–1894.

Early 20th century

1900s

Takamine Jōkichi discovered takadiastase in the early 1890s and adrenaline in 1900.

• Adrenaline (epinephrine) — Takamine Jōkichi and Keizo Uenaka discovered epinephrine in 1900. Takamine successfully isolated and purified the andrenaline hormone.
  • Arsphenamine (syphilis medical treatment) — Arsphenamine (Salvarsan), the first effective treatment for the syphilis STD, was discovered by Sahachiro Hata in 1909.
• I-novel — A type of confessional literature. The first I-novels were Tōson Shimazaki's The Broken Commandment (1906) and Katai Tayama's Futon (1907).
• Monosodium glutamate (sodium glutamate) — Invented and patented by Kikunae Ikeda in 1908.
  • Umami — Umami as a separate taste was first identified in 1908 by Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University while researching sodium glutamate and seaweed broth.
• Road Relay (ekiden)
• Saturnian model (planetary model) — In 1903, Hantaro Nagaoka proposed the first planetary atomic model as an alternative to the plum pudding model. It was a basis for the Rutherford model (1911) and Bohr model (1913).
• Urushiol — A mixture of alkyl catechols discovered by Rikou Majima in the 1900s. He also discovered it was an allergen which gave members of the genus Toxicodendron, such as poison ivy and poison oak, their skin-irritating properties.
• Z-term latitude variation — Discovered by Hisashi Kimura in 1902.

1910s

Japanese seaplane carrier Wakamiya conducted the world's first naval-launched air raids in 1914.

Anritsu's TYK Radio Telephone, developed in 1912, was the first practical wireless radio telephone.

• Airstrike (air raid) — Early in World War I (1914), the Japanese seaplane carrier Wakamiya conducted the world's first carrier-launched air raid.
• Carcinogenesis (cause of cancer) — In 1915, Yamagiwa Katsusaburō and Koichi Ichikawa first demonstrated carcinogenesis, the artificial inducement of cancer.
  • Treponema pallidum (syphilis pathogen) — Successfully isolated by Hideyo Noguchi in 1911.
• Curry bread — Invented in Japan during the early 20th century, either by Nakata Toyoharu (in 1927) or Aizō Sōma (some time after meeting Rash Behari Bose in 1916).
• Japanese typewriter — The first typewriter to be based on the Japanese writing system was invented by Kyota Sugimoto in 1915.
• KS steel — Magnetic resistant steel that is three times more resistant than tungsten steel. It was invented by Kotaro Honda in 1917.
  • MKM steel — MKM steel, an alloy containing nickel and aluminium, was developed in 1931 by the Japanese metallurgist Tokuhichi Mishima.
• Mechanical pencil — In 1915, Sharp founder Tokuji Hayakawa invented an early mechanical pencil.
• Methamphetamine hydrochloride — In 1919, methamphetamine hydrochloride was synthesized by pharmacologist Akira Ogata.

• Radio telephone (wireless phone) — Anritsu's TYK Radio Telephone, developed in 1912, was the first practical wireless telephone service. In 1914, it was installed in Toba, Mie.

• Samurai cinema — Jidaigeki silent films began depicting samurai in the 1910s.
  • Ninja film — Jidaigeki silent films began depicting ninjas in the 1910s.
  • Tokusatsu — Tokusatsu special effects date back to films by Shōzō Makino (from 1914 to 1928).
  • Fight scene animation — The Dull Sword (1917), an early anime short film, features the earliest animated fight scene.
• Superhero — Sarutobi Sasuke was an early superhero ninja from 1910s Japanese children's novels.
• Taishōgoto

1920s

Recreation of Kenjiro Takayanagi's pioneering electronic television experiment (1925).

Modern UHF high-gain Yagi–Uda antenna used as television antenna.

• Acetylcholine neurotransmitter — In 1926, Kenmatsu Shimidzu discovered that acetylcholine was a neuromuscular neurotransmitter.
• Aikido — Aikido was created and developed by Morihei Ueshiba in the 1920s.
• All-electronic television (TV) — Between 1924 and 1925, Kenjiro Takayanagi invented the first all‑electronic TV. By 1927, he improved display resolution to 100 scanlines.
  • Halftone television — By 1928, Kenjiro Takayanagi was the first to transmit human faces in halftones. His work influenced the later work of Vladimir K. Zworykin.
• Automatic non-stop shuttle-change power loom — Invented by Sakichi Toyoda with the Toyoda Automatic Loom (1924) using autonomation.
  • Rayon yarn spinning — Co-developed by Toray in 1927.
• Cathode-ray tube television (CRT TV) — Developed by Kenjiro Takayanagi between 1924 and 1925.
  • CRT display with thermal electron emission — In 1925, Takayanagi invented a high‑performance CRT display with a thermal electron emission source.
  • Horizontal sync and vertical sync with photocell — In 1927, Takayanagi demonstrated a CRT with horizontal/vertical sync pulses generated by a photocell.
  • Bipotential electron gun —In 1929, Takayanagi demonstrated a CRT that incorporated a bipotential electron gun with G2 and oxide cathode.

• Cultured pearl — Invented by Kokichi Mikimoto in 1916.
• Diesel engine two-wheel tractor — In 1926, Okayama farmer Nishizaki Hiroshi invented a two-wheel tractor with a diesel engine.
• Double-coil bulb — Invented by Junichi Miura of Hakunetsusha (Toshiba) in 1921 using coiled coil tungsten filament. Mass production of coiled coil filaments began in 1936.

• Electric rice cooker — The first electric rice cookers were developed by Matsushita, Mitsubishi and Sony between the 1920s and 1940s.
• Fujiwhara effect — An atmospheric phenomenon first described by Sakuhei Fujiwhara in 1921.
  • Jet stream — First discovered by meteorologist Wasaburo Oishi in the 1920s by tracking ceiling balloons.
• Gold synthesis — First synthesis of gold was conducted by Japanese physicist Hantaro Nagaoka, who synthesized gold from mercury in 1924 by neutron bombardment.
• Hand warmer — The first commercial hand warmer was created by Japanese inventor Niichi Matoba. In 1923, he manufactured the Hakukin-kairo (Hakkin warmer).
• Kikuchi lines (physics)
• Klein–Nishina formula
• Large eyes — The large eyes of manga iconography originates from the artwork of Jun'ichi Nakahara and Masawo Katō in shōjo teen magazines during the 1920s.
• Mechanical TV — In the early 1920s, Yasujiro Niwa invented the NE‑type cable phototelegraphic transmission system, the basis for mechanical TV in Japan.

• Pachinko — The first pachinko game machine was invented in Japan during the 1920s.
  • Pinball — Pachinko, invented in 1920s Japan, is considered the first mechanical pinball-type game.
• Radio fax — In the 1920s, Yasujiro Niwa successfully demonstrated the wireless transmission of images over large distances in Tokyo.
  • Meteor burst communications — The first observation of interaction between meteors and radio propagation was reported by Hantaro Nagaoka in 1929.
  • Multi-tube radio transceiver — Matsushita's R-31 (1931) was the first three-tube radio.
• Ryūkōka
  • Kayōkyoku
• Sports animation — Animal Olympic Games, a 1928 animated short film directed by Yasuji Murata, was the first sports anime.
• Takagi existence theorem — Developed by Teiji Takagi in isolation during World War I. He presented it at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 1920.
• Unreliable narrator (Rashomon effect) — Originates from Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's novel In a Grove (1922), which was adapted into Akira Kurosawa's film Rashomon (1950).
• Vitamin A — In 1922, Umetaro Suzuki succeeded in concentrating and extracting vitamin A.

• Wirephoto fax — In the early 1920s, Yasujiro Niwa invented the NE-type cable phototelegraphic transmission system, the basis for fax technology in Japan.

• Yagi–Uda antenna (directive short-wave antenna) — Invented in 1924 by Hidetsugu Yagi and Shintaro Uda of Tohoku Imperial University in Sendai.

1930s

Mitsubishi A6M Zero (1939) fighter plane, the first aircraft using aluminium-zinc alloy.

• Aluminium-zinc alloy — By alloying zinc with aluminium, Sumitomo Metal Industries developed the 7075 aluminium alloy (extra super duralumin) in 1935.
  • Aluminium-zinc alloy fighter aircraft — The Mitsubishi A6M Zero (1939) fighter plane was the first vehicle to use the zinc-based 7075 aluminium alloy.
• Amphibious assault ship — The Japanese amphibious assault ship Shinshū Maru (1934) was a pioneer of modern-day amphibious assault ships.
  • Dock landing ship — The Shinshū Maru (1934) is regarded as the first dock landing ship.
  • Landing craft carrier — The Shinshū Maru (1934) was the world's first landing craft carrier ship to be designed as such.

Artificial snow gun in operation.

• Artificial snowflake — The first artificial snowflake was created by Ukichiro Nakaya in 1936, three years after his first attempt.
• Auto rickshaw — The Mazda-Go (1931) was the first auto rickshaw.
• Costumed superhero — The kamishibai heroes Ōgon Bat (1930) and Prince of Gamma (early 1930s) were the first caped superheroes with superpowers.
  • Interstellar superhero with secret identity — Prince of Gamma (early 1930s) was the first interstellar superhero with superpowers and a secret identity.
• Diesel-powered tank — The Japanese Type 89 I-Go medium tank Otsu was the first diesel-powered tank, produced with a diesel engine from 1934 onwards.
• Direct-drive turntable — In 1939, Denon invented the first direct-drive turntable system.
• Ferrite magnet — Yogoro Kato and Takeshi Takei of the Tokyo Institute of Technology synthesized the first ferrite compounds in 1930.
  • Ferrite core — Developed in 1935 by Tokyo Denkikagaku Kogyo (TDK) and Tokyo Institute of Technology.
• Low angle — Yasujirō Ozu made consistent use of an extremely low camera position to shoot his subjects, a practice traced back to his films of the 1931–1932 period.
  • Tatami shot — Yasujirō Ozu invented the tatami shot, in which the camera is placed at a low height, roughly the eye level of a person kneeling on a tatami mat.
  • Kaiju — Yoshirō Edamasa's The Great Buddha Arrival (1934) is one of the earliest examples of a kaiju film in Japanese cinematic history.
• Mecha — Dai Ningen Tanku from the kamishibai work Ōgon Bat (1930) was the earliest piloted giant humanoid mecha robot.
  • Transforming robots — Gajo Sakamoto's manga Tank Tankuro (1934) introduced the concept of a transforming robot.

• Meson — In 1934, Hideki Yukawa predicted the existence and the approximate mass of the meson as the carrier of the nuclear force that holds atomic nuclei together.
  • Pion — First proposed by Hideki Yukawa in 1935.
  • Yukawa coupling
  • Yukawa potential
• Neutron scattering — Seishi Kikuchi demonstrated the scattering of fast neutrons in 1934.
• Nippon Kempo
• Nuclear power — In 1934, Tohoku University professor Hikosaka Tadayoshi proposed the huge energy in atomic nuclei could be used to produce nuclear power generation.
  • Magic number (physics) — Proposed by Hikosaka Tadayoshi in 1934.
  • Nuclear reaction with particle accelerator — In 1934, Seishi Kikuchi demonstrated nuclear reactions using an accelerator.
  • Nuclear shell model — Proposed by Tadayoshi in 1934.
  • Nuclear weapon — In 1934, Tadayoshi proposed that the huge energy in atomic nuclei could be used to create nuclear weapons.

• Nylon 6 — A type of synthetic nylon developed by Toray between 1938 and 1941.
  • Vinylon — The second man-made fiber after nylon. Invented by Ichiro Sakurada, H. Kawakami and Ri Sung-gi at the Takatsuki chemical research center in 1939.
• Portable electrocardiograph (ECG) — Taro Takemi built the first portable electrocardiograph (ECG) in 1937.
  • Vectorcardiography (VCG) — Taro Takemi invented the vectorcardiograph in 1939.
• Probiotic drink — Introduced with Yakult, invented by Minoru Shirota in 1935.
• Space train — The concept dates back to Kenji Miyazawa's novel Night on the Galactic Railroad (1934) and was popularized by Galaxy Express 999 (1977).
• Switching circuit theory — From 1934 to 1936, NEC engineer Akira Nakashima introduced switching circuit theory in a series of papers.
• Tankōbon
• Two-valued Boolean algebra — Discovered independently by NEC engineer Akira Nakashima from 1934 to 1936 with his switching circuit theory.
• Wind-up toy robot — Lilliput, a Japanese robot introduced in 1932, was the first wind-up toy robot.

1940s

See also: List of Japanese military equipment of World War II and Japanese nuclear weapons program

Fu-Go balloon bomb in January 1945.

• Buddy cop — Akira Kurosawa's Stray Dog (1949), starring Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura as a police duo, was the earliest buddy cop film.
  • Police procedural film — Stray Dog was a precursor to the modern police procedural film genre.
• Chromium ballpoint pencil — Ohto's Auto-Pencil (1949), a ballpoint pen shaped like a pencil, was the first writing instrument to use a chrome ball with chrome tip refill.
• Confocal microscope — In 1942, Zyun Koana described an early confocal microscope.
  • ECG differential amplifier — Fukuda Denshi's AD-1 (1949) was the first ECG with differential amplifier.
• Fake food — Simulated food was invented after Japan's surrender ending World War II in 1945. Japanese artisans and candlemakers created wax food initially for foreigners.
• Fire balloon (balloon bomb) — The Fu-Go balloon bomb was an experimental fire balloon weapon launched by Japan from 1944 to 1945, during World War II.
• Flash synchronization (flash sync) — The Mamiyaflex (1948) by Mamiya was the first twin-lens reflex camera (TLR) with flash sync.
• Gateball
• Itô calculus — Developed by Kiyosi Itô in the 1940s. Concepts include Itô integral and Itô's lemma. It is widely used in various fields, especially mathematical finance.
  • Stochastic calculus — Developed by Kiyosi Itô in the 1940s, involving stochastic integrals and stochastic differential equations based on the Brownian motion or Wiener process.
  • Stochastic differential equation (SDE) — Invented by Kiyosi Itô in 1942.
  • Itô diffusion — A diffusion process developed by Kiyosi Itô in 1942.
• Kamikaze
• Kei car (mini-car) — A category of small automobiles, including passenger cars, vans and pickup trucks. The first kei cars were launched for Japan in 1949.
• Keirin — Started as a gambling sport in 1948 and became an Olympic sport in 2000.

Akira Kurosawa's Sanshiro Sugata Part II (1945), the earliest numbered sequel in the history of cinema.

• Mentorship — Kurosawa's Sanshiro Sugata (1943), Drunken Angel (1948) and Stray Dog (1949) established themes of mentorship and mentor-student relationships in cinema.
  • Numbered sequel — Kurosawa's Sanshiro Sugata Part II (1945) was the earliest numbered sequel in the history of cinema.
• Nuclear fission weapon — Proposed by Japanese scientist Takutaro Hagiwara in the early 1940s.
  • Thermonuclear bomb — First proposed by Takutaro Hagiwara in 1941.
• Nuclear pile — In 1941, Hikosaka Tadayoshi proposed a pile-type nuclear reactor.
  • Fast breeder reactor — Proposed by Tadayoshi in 1944.
• PIN diode — Invented by Junichi Nishizawa and Yasushi Watanabe in 1949.
• Polyvinyl alcohol fiber (PVA fiber) — Developed by Kuraray between 1940 and 1950.
• Quantum electrodynamics (QED) — Shin'ichirō Tomonaga co-developed the field of quantum electrodynamics in the 1940s. He won the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics.
  • Lamb shift — Co-developed by Shin'ichirō Tomonaga in 1947.
• Santoku — A general-purpose kitchen knife originating in Japan. This knife was created in the 1940s, known as the santoku bōchō.
• Schwinger–Tomonaga equation
• Shorinji Kempo
• Steampunk comic — The earliest steampunk manga comics were Osamu Tezuka's Lost World (1948), Metropolis (1949) and Nextworld (1951).
• Uranium-238 nuclear fission (U238) — In 1941, Hikosaka Tadayoshi reported the chain reaction of uranium fission caused by fast neutrons, noting the fatal factor which breaks the chain reaction is the resonance absorption of neutrons by U238.
• Yakuza film — Akira Kurosawa's Drunken Angel (1948) was the first film to depict post-war yakuza.

1950s

See also: Science and technology in Japan and Electronics industry in Japan

Arts

Wikipe-tan as a majokko, the original magical girl archetype.

• Enka
• Kimura lock (gyaku ude-garami) — This judo move was popularized by Masahiko Kimura in 1951. It is commonly used in judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts.
• Magical girl — Princess Knight (1953) was a prototype for the genre. Himitsu no Akko-chan (1962) was the earliest true magical girl series.
• Metabolism (architecture) — Japanese architectural movement developed by Japanese architects including Kiyonori Kikutake, Kisho Kurokawa and Fumihiko Maki.
• Sports comic — The judo manga series Igaguri-kun by Eiichi Fukui, first published in the manga magazine Bōken'ō in 1952, was the first sports manga.
• Super robot — This mecha anime and manga subgenre originates from the manga Tetsujin 28 (1956) and was defined by the manga Mazinger Z (1972).

Cinema

Seven Samurai (1954), an influential samurai film directed by Akira Kurosawa.

Godzilla (1954), an early kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda.

• Blockbuster format — Akira Kurosawa films, especially Seven Samurai (1954), were "the clearest precursor" and "model for" the Hollywood blockbuster format.
  • Assembling the team — Seven Samurai (1954) originated the "assembling the team" trope, commonly used in action films, sports films and heist films.
  • Cutting on action — Kurosawa's approach to cutting on motion in films such as Seven Samurai has been widely adopted by many Hollywood blockbuster films.
  • Evil empire — Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress (1958) established the adventure film trope of rebels against an evil empire, notably inspiring Star Wars (1977).
• Eastman Color Negative (ECN) — Jigokumon (1953) was the first color film shot using the ECN format, with film processing by Imagica. It won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
• Henshin Hero (transforming hero) — In 1957, Shintoho produced the first Super Giant film serial. The "Henshin Boom" was later popularized by Kamen Rider (1971).
• Modern action film — Pioneered by Akira Kurosawa, with Seven Samurai (1954) considered to be the first modern action film.
  • Multi-camera action scene — Pioneered by Kurosawa with films such as Sanshiro Sugata (1943), Rashomon (1950) and Seven Samurai (1954).
  • Slow motion action scene — Pioneered by Akira Kurosawa with films such as Sanshiro Sugata (1943), Rashomon (1950) and Seven Samurai (1954).
  • Opening action scene — Seven Samurai (1954) established the common action film trope where the action hero is introduced in an action opening scene unrelated to the film's larger plot.
• New Wave cinema (Japanese New Wave) — In the early 1960s, film historians credited Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950) as the start of the international New Wave cinema movement, which gained popularity during the late 1950s to early 1960s.

• Suitmation (giant monster suit) — Eiji Tsuburaya, while working on Godzilla (1954), formulated the special effects technique of suitmation, the use of a human actor in a costume to play a giant monster combined with miniatures and scaled-down sets.
• Suit actor — A notable early example was Godzilla suit actor Haruo Nakajima.

Sciences

Leo Esaki in 1959. Pioneer of quantum tunnelling with tunnel diode and semiconductor superlattice.

• Ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) — Developed by Kuraray between 1957 and 1964.
• Frontier molecular orbital theory — Kenichi Fukui developed and published a paper on frontier molecular orbital theory in 1952.
• Itô's lemma — This result was discovered by Kiyoshi Itô in 1951.
• Iwasawa theory — Initially created by Kenkichi Iwasawa in 1959, Iwasawa theory was originally developed as a Galois module theory of ideal class groups.
  • Main conjecture of Iwasawa theory — Proved by Iwasawa for primes satisfying the Kummer–Vandiver conjecture.
• Quantum tunnelling — Leo Esaki circa 1957–1958 demonstrated tunneling of electrons over few nanometre (nm) wide barrier in a semiconductor structure with tunnel diode.
• Sakata model (quark model) — A precursor to the quark model, the Sakata model was proposed by Shoichi Sakata in 1956.
• Yoshizawa–Randlett system — A diagramming system used for origami models, first developed by Akira Yoshizawa in 1954.

Biomedical science

See also: Health in Japan

Instant noodles before boiling

• Audiometer — Nihon Kohden's MAW-1 White Noise Audiometer (1951) was the first audiometer.
  • Direct-writing electroencephalograph (EEG) — Nihon Kohden's ME-1D (1951) was the first 8-channel direct-writing electroencephalograph (EEG) using AC power.
• Dopamine in striatum — In 1959, Isamu Sano discovered a high concentration of dopamine in the striatum.
  • Dopamine reduction in Parkinson's disease — In 1959, Isamu Sano discovered the reduction of dopamine in patients with Parkinson's disease.
• Esophagogastroduodenoscope (EGD) — Mutsuo Sugiura invented the first gastrocamera (EGD), an endoscope camera. Released as the Olympus GT-1 (1950).
• Glutamate (neurotransmitter) — The first suggestion that glutamate might function as a neurotransmitter came from Takashi Hayashi in 1952.
  • Inhibitory GABA — In 1956, Takashi Hayashi discovered the inhibitory action of GABA.
• Instant noodle (instant ramen) — Invented by Momofuku Ando, a Taiwanese-Japanese inventor, in 1958.
• Interferon — In 1954, interferon (virus inhibition factor) was discovered by Yasuichi Nagano and Yasuhiko Kojima.
• Medical monitor — In 1957, JVC introduced a medical CRT display with deflection yoke technology. In 1972, JVC introduced the first 12‑inch raster display medical CRT monitor.

Technology

Automatic rice cooker.

• Automatic photo print washer — In 1951, Noritsu founder Kan'ichi Nishimoto invented an automatic photo print washer by applying the principles behind a water wheel.
• Automatic rice cooker — Invented by husband–wife team Yoshitada Minami and Fumiko Minami circa 1951–1955. Commercialized by Toshiba in 1955.
• Conveyor belt sushi

Canon Pixma TS207 inkjet printer by Canon Inc.

• Inkjet printing — First extensively developed by Canon in the early 1950s. While working at Canon, Ichiro Endo suggested the idea for a bubble jet printer.
• Low cab forward light truck – In 1959, Isuzu introduced the first 2-ton light-duty low cab forward (LCF) truck, a predecessor of the Isuzu Elf N-Series trucks.
• Modelguns — Japan's Model Gun Collection, founded in 1959, was the first manufacturer of modelguns, which they debuted in 1962.
• Ninjatō
• Toy warranty — In 1955, a toy product guarantee system was first launched with Bandai's Toyopet Crown model car.

Audio

Sony TR-63 pocket transistor radio advertisement in 1957.

• Ansafone — Invented by Kazuo Hashimoto circa 1954–1958 for PhoneTel, which in 1960 began selling the first answering machines in the US.
• Electrostatic headphones — The Stax SR-1 were the first electrostatic headphones, developed between 1959 and 1960 by Stax Ltd.
• Paper audio record — In 1950, Yoshiro Nakamatsu invented the Jūshoku record, an optical sound media which uses a printed paper sheet instead of transparent film.
  • Moving coil magnetic cartridge — In 1951, Denon invented the first moving coil cartridge.
• Pocket radio — The Sony TR-63 (1957) was the first portable transistor radio that could fit in a pocket.
• Portable audio player — The Denon R-26-F (1951) was the first portable audio tape recorder.

Cameras

Nikon F professional SLR camera with Nikkor S Auto 5.8cm f/1.4 lens (1959)

• Depth of field (DOF) — The Nikon F (1959) introduced a DOF preview button.
  • Electric motor drive — The Nikon F (1959) was the first camera with an electric motor drive.
• Full-frame SLR camera — The Nikon F (1959) was the first single-lens reflex (SLR) camera with full frame coverage.
  • Half-frame camera — The Olympus Pen F (1963) was the first half-frame SLR camera.
• Instant return mirror — The Asahiflex IIB (1954) was the first SLR camera with a practical instant return mirror.
• Single-lens reflex system camera (system SLR) — The Nikon F (1959) was the first SLR system camera.
• Bayonet lens mount — The Nikon F-mount, debuted with the Nikon F (1959), was the first interchangeable lens bayonet mount.
• Multi-layer optical coating — The first multi-layer lens coating was the "Super-Multi-Coating" introduced by Pentax in the 1950s.
• Through-the-lens metering (TTL) — The Nikon SPX (1950) prototype rangefinder camera was the first camera to feature TTL light metering.

Computing

Casio Model 14-A, developed between 1954 and 1957, was the first all‑electric desktop calculator.

• Computer reservation system — MARS, developed by Japanese National Railways (JNR) and Hitachi in 1958, was the first seat reservation system for trains.
  • Online transaction processing — MARS (1958) introduced online real-time processing.
• Electric desktop calculator — The Casio Model 14-A, developed between 1954 and 1957, was the first all‑electric desktop calculator.
• Machine translation — Yamato, a computer developed by Electrotechnical Laboratory (ETL) between 1958 and 1959, was an early machine translation system translating between Japanese and English.
• Parametron computer — The first parametron computers were Tokyo University's PD1516 (1956) and NTT's MUSASINO-1 (1957).
• Stored-program transistor computer — Electrotechnical Laboratory's ETL Mark III, which began development in 1954 and was completed in 1956, was the first stored-program transistor computer.

Display technology

See also: Television in Japan

Sony TV8-301, developed between 1958 and 1960, was the first all‑transistor electronic TV set.

• All-transistor television set — The Sony TV8-301, developed between 1958 and 1960, was the first all-transistor portable solid-state electronic television (TV).
  • Portable television — The Sony TV8-301, developed from 1958 to 1959, was the first portable direct-view television.
• Autostereoscopic 3D TV (parallax barrier) — In the late 1950s, NHK developed a prototype autostereoscopic 3D TV using parallax barrier technology.
• Digital wristwatch — In 1953, Yoshiro Nakamatsu invented the first prototype wristwatch with a digital display.
• Helical scan video tape recorder (VTR) — Invented by Norikazu Sawazaki in 1953. In 1959, Toshiba released the first commercial helical scan VTR.
• Instant replay — In 1957, NHK began instant replay broadcasts of sumo wrestling events, rewinding the video tape after a match to replay the contest.
• Inter-frame motion compensation (MC) — In 1959, NHK's Y. Taki, M. Hatori and S. Tanaka proposed predictive inter-frame MC digital video coding.

Energy technology

See also: Energy in Japan

A tower type uninterruptible power supply (UPS) unit.

• Electro-hydraulic actuator — In 1959, FANUC developed the first electrohydraulic pulse motor.
• Metal-jacket dry battery — Matsushita's Hyper Dry Cell Battery (1954) was the first full-metal-jacket dry battery with longer battery life.

• Solar module — Between 1959 and early 1963, Sharp developed the first commercial solar module.
• Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) — Developed by Fuji Electric in the early 1950s and demonstrated in 1954.

Microtechnology

Semiconductor lasers, including blue laser in the middle.

• Avalanche breakdown — Between 1952 and 1953, Junichi Nishizawa discovered the avalanche effect in semiconductors.
• Field-effect transistor (FET)
  • Junction FET (JFET) — In 1950, Junichi Nishizawa and Yasushi Watanabe invented the static induction transistor (SIT), the first JFET and the first practical FET.
• Ion implantation — Discovered by Junichi Nishizawa in 1950.
  • Epitaxy — Junichi Nishizawa invented electroepitaxy in 1955, photoepitaxy in 1961, and gallium arsenide (GaAs) molecular layer epitaxy (MLE) in 1984.
• Microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (maser) — In 1955, Junichi Nishizawa invented the first solid-state maser.
  • Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (laser) — The laser was invented by Junichi Nishizawa and Yasushi Watanabe in early 1957.
• Parametron — Invented by Eiichi Goto in 1954 as an alternative to the vacuum tube. Early Japanese computers used parametrons until superseded by transistors.
• Photodiode (PIN photodiode) — Invented by Junichi Nishizawa in 1950.
  • Avalanche diode (avalanche photodiode) — Junichi Nishizawa invented the avalanche photodiode in 1952 and avalanche injection diode in 1958.
• PNP transistor — Invented by Junichi Nishizawa in 1950.
• Semiconductor laser (laser diode) — Invented by Junichi Nishizawa and Yasushi Watanabe in early 1957.
• Tunnel diode (Esaki diode) — Invented in August 1957 by Leo Esaki and Yuriko Kurose while working at Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo, now known as Sony.
  • Tunnel injection — In 1958, Junichi Nishizawa invented the first tunnel injection diode, a transit-time diode with tunnel injection of electrons (TUNNETT).
• Variable capacitance diode (varicap) — Junichi Nishizawa invented the hyperabrupt variable capacitance diode in 1959.

Textiles

Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 (1966) sneaker shoes.

• Nylon shoe — Onitsuka Tiger's After Boots (1954) were the first shoes made with nylon.
  • Synthetic rubber shoe sole — Onitsuka Tiger's Rubber Sponge Shoe (1956) was the first shoe with synthetic rubber sponge sole.
• Suction cup shoe — In 1951, Onitsuka Tiger introduced the first suction cup basketball sneakers.
• Wrestling shoe — In 1955, Onitsuka Tiger introduced the first specialized wrestling shoe. It is the archetype of the modern wrestling shoe.

1960s

Arcade games

Further information: List of Japanese gaming innovations and List of firsts in gaming history

See also: Arcade game and Electro-mechanical game

Periscope (1965) by Namco and Sega pioneered the audio-visual novelty genre of arcade EM games.

• Air hockey — Sega's MotoPolo (1968), an arcade electro-mechanical game (EM game), anticipated air hockey gameplay.
• Audio-visual novelty game — EM arcade game genre originating from Japan, pioneered with Periscope (1965) by Namco and Sega.
  • Virtual world — Introduced by Periscope (1965).
  • Visual effects — Introduced by Periscope (1965).
  • Pseudo-3D — Pseudo-3D effects date back to Periscope (1965) by Namco and Sega.
  • Image projection — EM games with rear image projection on a screen were introduced in 1968 with Sega's Duck Hunt and Kasco's Indy 500.
  • Character animation — Sega's Duck Hunt (1968) introduced the projection of animated moving targets on a screen.

Sega's Gun Fight (1969) introduced competitive head-to-head shooting between two players.

• Bonus points (headshot) — Dates back to Sega's Duck Hunt (1968). It awarded a higher score of 15 points for a head shot, whereas a standard body shot earned 10 points.
  • Game score printing — Sega's arcade EM game Duck Hunt (1968) was the first electronic game to print out the player's score.
  • Head-to-head shooting — Sega's Gun Fight (1969) introduced competitive head‑to‑head shooting between two players, inspiring early shooter video games.
• Cooperative gameplay (co-op) — Periscope (1965) was both a single-player game and a three-player co-op game.
  • 3-player (3P) — Periscope (1965) was both a single-player game and a three-player game.
• Crane game — Modern trolley-style claw machine crane games were developed by Sega and Taito in the 1960s.
• Electronic sound effects — Introduced with arcade EM game Periscope (1965) by Namco and Sega.
  • Loudspeaker — Periscope (1965) was the first electronic game with sound effects played through a speaker.
  • Solid-state electronics — Solid‑state electronic sound dates back to Sega's EM game Duck Hunt (1968).
  • Sound volume — Duck Hunt (1968) introduced volume controls for the sound effects.
• Family fun center — Modern family fun centers appeared in Japan during the 1960s, notably amusement arcades operated by Sega.
• Motorcycle game — Sega's EM game MotoPolo (1968) was the first electronic sports game featuring motorbikes.
  • First-person racing game — Kasco's EM arcade racer Indy 500 (1968) was the earliest racing game to project pseudo-3D first-person graphics on a screen.
• Streaming audio — Sega's EM arcade game MotoPolo (1968) introduced an 8-track player unit that plays sounds from endless tape cartridge through a speaker.
  • Game music — Sega introduced game tape music with their EM arcade game Jumbo (1969), which used an 8-track player to stream electronic circus music.
• Submarine simulator — Periscope (1965) was the earliest submarine simulator, using lights and plastic waves to simulate sinking ships from a submarine.
  • First-person light-gun shooter — Sega's EM arcade game Duck Hunt (1968) was the earliest shooter game to project first‑person graphics on a screen.
• Vehicular combat game — Dates back to the EM arcade game Periscope (1965) by Namco and Sega.

Controllers

See also: Game controller

Sega's MotoPolo (1968) introduced air hockey style gameplay, joystick controls and streaming audio.

• Directional buttons — Sega's arcade EM game Missile (1969) had two directional buttons are used to move a motorized tank.
• Dual control — Sega's Missile (1969) had a dual-control scheme, with two directional buttons moving a tank and a joystick used to shoot and steer the missile.
• Fire button — The EM arcade game Periscope (1965) by Namco and Sega was the earliest game with a firing button.
• Joystick — Sega's EM arcade game MotoPolo, released in early 1968, introduced joystick controllers, used to move miniature motorbikes in any direction on the table.
  • Analog joystick — Introduced by Sega's MotoPolo (1968). Joysticks used analog magnetic lever technology to move miniature motorbikes in any direction.
  • Joystick with fire button — First game to use a joystick with fire button was Sega's Missile (1969), which used a joystick to shoot and steer the missile.
• Periscope — Periscope (1965) by Namco and Sega introduced a new controller in the form of a periscope viewer. Its periscope viewer arcade cabinet design was later adopted by several arcade video games.
• Racing wheel with accelerator pedal — Kasco's EM game Indy 500 (1968) featured a steering wheel along with an accelerator pedal.

Arts

See also: Japanese art

Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo (1961) introduced the Man with No Name character archetype.

• Binge-viewing — Shōnen Jump (founded 1968) developed a formula of compiling chapters into standalone tankōbon volumes that could be "binged" all at once.
• Bullet time — The bullet time visual effect originated as a cel animation effect in the anime series Speed Racer (1967).
• Cosplay — Dates back to 1960s Japan. The term "cosplay" was coined by Nobuyuki Takahashi in 1983.
• Kyodai Hero (giant hero) — This tokusatsu superhero subgenre initially began with the Japanese film Ghidorah (1964), where Godzilla is a prototypical Kyodai hero, paving the way for the Kyodai hero franchise Ultraman (1966).
• Kyokan — A concept forwarded by Masao Kawai. It first appeared to Western readers in Kawai's book Ecology of Japanese Monkeys (1969).
• Lone Wolf and Cub — The genre began with Osamu Tezuka's manga Dororo (1967) and Kazuo Koike's manga Lone Wolf and Cub (1970).
• Love hotel — Originates from Osaka's Hotel Love, opened in 1968.
• Media mix — Began in 1960s Japan.
• Man with No Name — A stock character that originated with Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo (1961), where the archetype was first portrayed by Toshirō Mifune. The archetype was adapted by Sergio Leone for his Spaghetti Western Dollars Trilogy.
• New Formalism architecture — Architectural style co-developed by Minoru Yamasaki in the mid-20th century. He used it for the design of the original World Trade Center, completed in 1973.
• Time loop — The earliest novel about a time loop was Yasutaka Tsutsui's The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (1965).

Audio

Shin-ei Uni-Vibe (1968) phaser effects pedal used by Jimi Hendrix.

• 3.5 mm headphone jack — Introduced with Sony's EFM-117J transistor radio in 1964.
• Delta-sigma modulation (ΔΣ) — In 1962, ΔΣ digital sampling was defined and named in 1962 by University of Tokyo researchers H. Inose, Y. Yasuda and J. Murakami.
• Digital audio recorder — In 1967, Heitaro Nakajima of NHK began work on the digitization of sound. By 1969, he developed the first digital audio tape recorder.
  • Digital audio stereo sound — In 1969, NHK developed the first 2-channel stereo PCM digital audio recorder.
• Electronic drum — Ikutaro Kakehashi's R1 Rhythm Ace (1964) was the first fully transistorized electronic drum manually hand‑operated like electronic drum pads.
  • Phaser effects pedal — Shin-ei Uni-Vibe (1968) effects pedal designed by Fumio Mieda had phase shift and chorus effects. Famously used by Jimi Hendrix and Robin Trower.
  • DJ direct-drive turntable (turntablism) — Technics SP-10 (1969), invented by Shuichi Obata at Matsushita Electric, was the first direct-drive turntable used for DJ turntablism.
• Home stereo system — In 1962, Pioneer Corporation introduced the world's first home stereo system with detachable loudspeakers.
• Integrated amplifier (amp) — Sony TA-1120 (1965) was the first silicon transistor stereo integrated amplifier, with higher output and lower distortion than vacuum tube amps.
• Karaoke — Sparko Box, invented by Shigeichi Negishi in 1967, was the first karaoke machine. Karaoke was later popularized by Daisuke Inoue's machine released in 1972.
• Microcassette — Olympus Corporation's Zuiko Pearlcoder (1969) was the first microcassette tape recorder.
• Speech coding
  • Linear predictive coding (LPC) — LPC speech coding was developed by Fumitada Itakura of Nagoya University and Shuzo Saito of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) in 1966.
  • Itakura–Saito distance — Fumitada Itakura and Shuzo Saito first presented the Itakura–Saito distance algorithm in 1968.
  • Partial correlation speech synthesis (PARCOR) — Invented at NTT in 1969.
• Speech recognition — In 1966, Fumitada Itakura and Shuzo Saito developed an early practical speech recognition algorithm using LPC.

Music

Main article: List of Japanese musical innovations

See also: Music of Japan

Isao Tomita in 1977. He was a pioneer of ambient music and space music.

• Ambient music — Pioneered by Japanese electronic music composer Isao Tomita during the late 1960s to early 1970s.
• Commercial digital recording — Pioneered in Japan by NHK and Nippon Columbia (Denon) in the 1960s. The first commercial digital recordings were released in 1971.
• J-pop — Roots in traditional music of Japan, significantly in 1960s pop and rock music. Genre began with Japanese rock bands such as Happy End during the 1960s–1970s.
  • City pop — Origin is attributed to the band Happy End (Haruomi Hosono, Takashi Matsumoto, Eiichi Ohtaki and Shigeru Suzuki), active from 1969 to 1972.
• Noise rock — The genre was pioneered by Japanoise band Les Rallizes Dénudés, founded in 1967.
• Visual kei — Kenji Sawada of The Tigers (1967–1972) was a precursor. Style emerged in early 1980s with Ryuichi Sakamoto, Masami Tsuchiya, Boøwy and Kinniku Shōjo Tai.

Computing

• Cathode-ray tube raster graphics computer monitor (CRT raster monitor) — In the 1960s, Hitachi introduced a raster graphics CRT monitor for computer terminals.
• Compact office computer — A class of computers smaller than minicomputers. Used in Japan circa 1960s–1970s. Casio's TUC Compuwriter (1961) was the first.
• Direct numerical control (DNC) — In 1968, FANUC developed the first DNC, a type of computer numerical control (CNC).
• Frame memory — In 1969, NHK developed 20 megabyte (MB) disk storage for video images, used with a minicomputer for their prototype Hi-Vision analog HDTV system.
• Information society — The concept originates from Japan, where the term Joho Shakai (information society) was first coined by the periodical Hoso Asahi in 1964.
• Integrated circuit minicomputer — NEC's NEAC-1240 (1967) was the first minicomputer to use integrated circuit (IC) chips.
• Mail sorter with optical character recognition (OCR) — Developed by Toshiba between 1966 and 1967.
• Multi-processor computer — The FACOM 230-60 (1968) was the first multi-processor computer.

Artificial intelligence

Object detection using a convolutional neural network (CNN) deep learning AI model.

• Activation function — Dates back to Kunihiko Fukushima's development of the rectified linear unit (ReLU) activation function in 1969.
  • Rectified linear unit (ReLU) — In 1969, Kunihiko Fukushima introduced ReLU in the context of visual feature extraction in hierarchical neural networks.
• Artificial neural network (ANN) with deep learning and stochastic gradient descent (SGD) — First proposed by Shun'ichi Amari in 1967.
  • Backpropagation — Anticipated by Shun'ichi Amari in the 1960s.
  • Multilayer perceptron (MLP) with stochastic gradient descent — In 1967, Shun'ichi Amari and H. Saito reported the first multi-layered ANN trained by SGD.
• Computer vision — Pioneered at Visual and Auditory Information Science Unit (VAISU) of NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories (NHK STRL) in the 1960s.
  • Feature extraction — Developed at the VAISU unit of NHK STRL in the 1960s.
  • Image analysis — Developed at the VAISU unit of NHK STRL in the 1960s.
• Convolutional neural network (CNN) — A deep learning feedforward neural network first developed by Kunihiko Fukushima between 1969 and 1979. It forms the basis of contemporary pattern recognition AI.
  • Neocognitron — A hierarchical multi-layered CNN first developed by Kunihiko Fukushima between 1969 and 1979.
• Machine vision — Pioneered by Hitachi researchers in 1964.
• Text-to-speech (TTS) — In 1968, Noriko Umeda's team at ETL developed the first general English text-to-speech system.
• Visual recognition — Pioneered at the VAISU unit of NHK STRL in the 1960s.

Calculators

Sharp QT-8D Micro Compet (1969), the first handheld calculator with LSI chip and VFD display.

• Desktop calculator with parametron — Oi Electric's Aleph-Zero 101, developed in 1963 and released in 1964, was the first desktop calculator using parametrons.
  • Transistor desktop calculator — The Sharp CS-10A (1964) was the first all-transistor-diode desktop electronic calculator.
  • 10-key electronic calculator — The first ten-key electronic calculator was the Canon Canola 130 (1964).
  • Calculator memory — The Casio 001 (1965) was the first electronic calculator with a memory function.
• Integrated circuit calculator (IC calculator) — Sharp circa 1964–1966 developed the CS-31A, the first electronic calculator incorporating IC chips.
  • MOS integrated circuit calculator (MOS calculator) — In 1966, NEC developed the first metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) calculator IC chip for Hayakawa Electric (Sharp).
  • Software programmable calculator — The Casio AL-1000 (1967) was the first electronic desktop calculator capable of software programming.
  • Handheld calculator — The Sharp QT-8D Micro Compet (1969) was the first commercial electronic calculator that could be held in the palm of a hand.
  • Large-scale integration calculator (LSI calculator) — The Sharp QT-8D Micro Compet (1969) was the first calculator to use large-scale integration (LSI) MOS IC chips.
• LCD calculator — Between 1968 and 1970, Sharp developed the first prototype desktop calculators with LCD displays.
• Vacuum fluorescent display calculator (VFD calculator) — The Sharp QT-8D Micro Compet (1969) was the first calculator to use a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD).

Culture

See also: Culture of Japan and Japanese popular culture

Nagoya Daigaku Station with yellow tactile paving on the Nagoya Municipal Subway.

• Clarino — A synthetic leather developed by Kuraray in 1964.
  • Clarino shoe — In 1966, Onitsuka Tiger (Asics) released the first athletic shoes using Clarino.
• Three-layer material shoe — In 1967, Onitsuka Tiger introduced marathon shoes with a three-layer material combining nylon twill, polyurethane foam and nylon tricot.
• Automated teller machine (ATM) — In 1965, the Computer Loan Machine in Japan was the first ATM cash machine.
• Capsule toy (Gashapon)
• Konbini
• Retractable ballpoint pen — In 1962, Ohto released the first commercial retractable ballpoint pen.
  • Tungsten carbide ballpoint pen — In 1963, Ohto introduced the first ballpoint pen with tungsten carbide ball.
  • Transparent ballpoint pen refill — In 1964, Ohto manufactured the first ballpoint pen refill with transparent pipe.

• Rollerball pen — The first rollerball pen was invented by Ohto in 1963 and released in 1964.
• Shokken — A meal ticket vending machine for ordering food. It was invented by Omron in 1963.

• Tactile paving — The original tactile paving was developed by Seiichi Miyake in 1965. The paving was first introduced on a street in Okayama, Japan, in 1967.
• Wand vibrator — Hitachi Magic Wand (1968) was the first wand vibrator. Originally designed as a massage device, it later became popular as a sex toy.

Motor vehicles

See also: Automotive industry in Japan

Nissan GT-R PGC10 (1969), the first production car with 4-valve DOHC.

• 4-valve dual overhead camshaft (DOHC) — The Nissan Skyline GT-R (C10), released in 1969, was the first production vehicle with a 4-valve DOHC.
• Automatic car door — Introduced for Japanese taxi vehicles in 1964.
• Automatic transmission mini-car — Honda N360 AT (1968).
• Head restraint (head rest) — In 1968, Mazda Porter trucks and vans were the first production vehicles equipped with a head rest as standard equipment.
• Multi-rotary engine — Mazda Wankel engine (1960s) was the first twin rotary engine, commercialized with Mazda Cosmo Sports (1967). Mazda's 20B (1987) was the first three-rotor engine. Mazda 13J (1987) was the first four-rotor engine.
• Parallel axis system — Introduced by the Hondamatic system with the Honda N360 AT (1968). It is used in most Honda automatic and semi-automatic vehicles.
• Vehicle inverter — In 1968, Toyo Denki developed the first inverter for production vehicles.

Motorcycles

Honda CB750 (1969), the first superbike.

• Front disc brake — The Honda CB750 (1969) was the first mass-production motorcycle with front disc brake.
  • Hydraulic disc brakes — The CB750 (1969) was the first production motorcycle with hydraulic disc brakes.
• Superbike — The Honda CB750 (1969) was the first superbike.
  • Double cradle frame — The CB750 (1969) was the first mass-production motorcycle with a double cradle motorcycle frame.
  • Four mufflers — The CB750 (1969) was the first mass-production motorcycle with four mufflers.
  • Straight-four SOHC — The CB750 (1969) was the first mass-produced motorcycle with a parallel four-cylinder single overhead camshaft (SOHC) motorcycle engine.
• Universal Japanese Motorcycle (UJM) — Coined in the 1970s to describe the proliferation of Japanese standard motorcycles following the Honda CB750 (1969).

Sciences

Yoichiro Nambu in 1965. He discovered spontaneous symmetry breaking.

• Climate model (general circulation model) — Co-developed by Syukuro Manabe in the 1960s, for which he was awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics.
• Hironaka's example — A non-Kähler complex manifold that is a deformation of Kähler manifolds. Discovered by Heisuke Hironaka in the early 1960s.
• Isotropic magnet — Developed by Matsushita in 1967.
• Photocatalysis — Akira Fujishima discovered photocatalysis occurring on the surface of titanium dioxide in 1967.
• Polyethylene glycol (PEG) — Developed by Sanyo Chemical in 1960.
• Spontaneous symmetry breaking — Discovered by Yoichiro Nambu, Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa circa 1960–1972. They won the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics.
• Synthetic fluorite — In 1968, synthetic fluorite was first successfully mass-produced by Canon.
• Tomonaga–Luttinger liquid

Biomedical science

A digital Omron HJ-112 pedometer fitness tracker.

• 10,000 steps — In 1963, Iwao Ohya proposed the ideal of walking 10,000 steps a day, popularized by the Manpo-kei (10,000 step) pedometer released by Yamasa in 1965.
• 3D holographic radiography (holographic X-ray) — In 1969, Tadashi Kasahara's Konishiroku and Tokyo University group invented 3D holographic X-ray imaging.
• Amino acid analyzer — JEOL's JLC-5AH (1968) was the first amino acid analyzer.
• Amino acid neurotransmitter — Between the 1960s and 1970s, Masanori Otsuka established GABA as the first amino acid neurotransmitter.
  • Substance P neuropeptide — Between the 1960s and 1970s, Masanori Otsuka established substance P (SP) as the first peptide neurotransmitter.
• Canned coffee — Invented in 1965 by Miura Yoshitake, a coffee shop owner in Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, Japan.
• DOPA treatment for Parkinson's disease — In 1960, Isamu Sano discovered the use of DOPA as a treatment for Parkinson's disease.
• Fiber gastroscope — Introduced by Olympus in 1964.

• Fitness tracker (pedometer) — Juri Kato produced Yamasa's Manpo-kei (10,000 step meter), the first modern pedometer (step-counter) wearable technology, released 1965.
  • Digital blood pressure monitor — Omron under Kazuma Tateishi circa 1961–1973 developed the first digital blood pressure monitor, released as HEM-1 (1973).
• Flexible bronchoscopy — Shigeto Ikeda invented the flexible fiber bronchoscope in 1966.
• Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy (FCMD) — Discovered by Yukio Fukuyama, Tatsushi Toda and Tamao Endo in 1960.
• Immunoglobulin E (IgE) — Antibody only found in mammals. It was discovered during 1966–1967 by Kimishige Ishizaka's team at the Children's Asthma Research Institute and Hospital in Denver, Colorado.
• Okazaki fragment — DNA fragments formed on lagging template strand during DNA replication. Discovered in 1966 by Reiji Okazaki, Tsuneko Okazaki and Kiwako Sakabe.
  • Bacteriophage DNA replication — In 1967, Okazaki fragments were further investigated by Okazaku's research team including the study on bacteriophage DNA replication in Escherichia coli.
• Retort pouch — In 1968, Otsuka Foods Company in Japan introduced the first retort food product, a Japanese curry called Bon Curry.

Technology

Bifacial solar panel installation.

• Aeroderivative gas turbine — IM350 (1965) by Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) was the first commercial aero‑derivative gas turbine.
• Bifacial solar cell (BSC) — BFC solar cell was proposed by Hiroshi Mori in 1960 while at Hayakawa Denki Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Sharp).
• Bipedal robot — Invented at Tokyo University in 1967.
  • Android — Waseda University initiated the WABOT project in 1967, and in 1972 completed the WABOT-1. It was the first android.
  • Intelligent robot — WABOT-1 was the first full-scale humanoid intelligent robot.
• Digital printing — Seiko Epson's EP-101 (1968) was the first compact digital printer.
  • Electronic printer — The EP-101 (1968) was the first electronic mini-printer.

• Film processor — Noritsu's RF−20E (1961) black-and-white film processor automated the black-and-white film development process for the first time.

Inverter on a free-standing solar plant.

• Inverter (power inverter) — Between 1962 and 1966, Fuji Electric invented the first power inverter using thyristor technology.
  • Three-phase inverter — Introduced by Fuji Electric in 1966.
  • Variable-frequency drive (AC drive) — Yaskawa's VS-616T (developed 1960s–1974) is the first pulse-width modulation variable-speed power transistor AC inverter drive.
• Mechatronics — The term was coined and defined by Yaskawa senior engineer Tetsuro Mori in 1969.
• Permanent fuse — Introduced by Mitsubishi in 1969.
• Piezoelectric ceramics (PCM) — Developed by Matsushita in 1966.
• Semiconductor superlattice — Developed by Leo Esaki in 1968.
• Serial impact dot matrix printer (SIDM) — The Oki Wiredot (1968) was the first SIDM printer. It supported a character generator for 128 characters with a 7×5 print matrix.

Cameras

Sony DV-2400 Portapak (1966), the first video camera recorder used for electronic news gathering.

• 3D holographic stereo camera — In 1968, Konishiroku (Konica) invented the first holographic 3D camera, using holographic multi-lens stereogram technology.
• CdS meter — In 1962, the Taron Marquis from Japan was the first camera with built-in cadmium sulfide (CdS) light meter, shortly followed by the Minolta SR-7.
  • Center-weighted average metering — The Nikon F Photomic TN (1967) was the first camera with a center-weighted exposure metering system.
• Close range correction (CRC) — Nikon's Nikkor Auto 24mm f/2.8 (1967) was the first camera lens with a CRC system.
  • Fluorite lens — In 1969, Canon introduced the first camera lens employing fluorite.
• Fisheye lens for 35 mm camera — In 1962, Nikon introduced the first regular production fisheye lens for 35 mm cameras.
• Handheld TV camera — Ikegami Tsushinki introduced the first portable ​4 ¹⁄₂-inch image orthicon tube handheld TV camera, making its US debut in February 1962.
  • Video camera recorder — Sony's Portapak (1965) was the first self-contained portable camera and video tape analog recording system.
  • Electronic news gathering (ENG) — Sony's Portapak (1965) led to the emergence of ENG, guerrilla television and video art.
  • HD video camera — In 1969, NHK STRL demonstrated the first prototype Hi-Vision 1125i analog HDTV video camera.
• Metal-bladed focal-plane shutter — The Konica F (1960) introduced a new metal-bladed focal-plane shutter designed and manufactured by Konishiroku, which they branded the Hi Synchro.
  • Electronic shutter — Yashica's TL Electro-X (1968) was the first 35 mm SLR camera with an electronically timed shutter.
• Perspective-control lens (PC lens) — The Nikon F-mount f3.5 35 mm PC-Nikkor (1961) was the first PC lens manufactured for SLR cameras.
  • Tilt–shift photography — Nikon's PC-Nikkor (1961) was the first interchangeable tilt-shift lens for SLR cameras.
• Shutter priority auto-exposure — The Konica Autoreflex (1965) was the first SLR camera with shutter priority auto‑exposure.
• SLR camera TTL metering — In 1964, Topcon launched the first SLR camera with TTL full-aperture metering system.
• Space camera — Konica's Minolta Hi-Matic was the first camera taken into outer space on a human spaceflight mission by astronaut John Glenn in 1962.
• Superzoom — The Nikon Super Zoom-8 (1966) introduced 5× zoom lens. The Nikon 8X Super Zoom (1967) introduced 8× zoom. The Nikon R10 Super Zoom (1973) introduced 10× zoom.
• Ultra wide angle lens — In 1968, Nikon's Masaki Isshiki and Keiji Matsuki filed a patent for super wide fisheye lens with 220° to 270° field of view.

Display technology

Sony Trinitron CRT monitor using aperture grille technology.

• Aperture grille — One of two major CRT display technologies, along with shadow mask. Aperture grile was introduced by Sony with their Trinitron TV set in 1968.
  • Flyback transformer — In 1968, Matsushita invented the first winding-free high‑voltage flyback transformer for TV receivers using piezoelectric ceramics.
  • Integrated circuit color TV (IC TV) — In 1969, Toshiba released an early color TV with IC chip. In 1971, they released the first color TV with mostly IC chips.
  • Automatic fine tuning (AFT) — In 1969, Toshiba released the first color TV with AFT IC chip technology.
• Digital video (disk storage) — In 1969, NHK developed 20 MB disk storage for video images, used with a minicomputer for their prototype Hi-Vision HDTV system.
• HDTV (HD video) — NHK STRL circa 1964–1969 developed Hi-Vision 1125i analog HDTV, demonstrated in 1969 with monochrome HD CRT monitor and video camera.
• Satellite TV — NEC's high-sensitivity satellite communication receiver system was used to relay the 1963 Kennedy assassination and 1964 Tokyo Olympics live TV broadcast.
  • Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) — The first practical direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service was co-developed by NHK, NASDA and Toshiba circa 1965–1984.

U-matic, the first videocassette format, developed by Sony between 1968 and 1971.

• Transistor VTR — The Sony SV-201 (1961) was the first transistor-based VTR. The Sony CV-2000 (1965) was the first all-transistor consumer VTR.
  • Home video — The Sony CV-2000 (1965) was the first commercial VTR for home use.
  • Videocassette — The first video cassette tape format was Sony's U-matic, developed by Nobutoshi Kihara's team circa 1968–1969 and commercialized in 1971.

• Vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) — In 1966, ISE Electronics established the basic VFD structure. They developed a single‑digit VFD in 1967 and multi-digit VFD in 1970.
• Wide view 3D holographic projection — Developed by Takanori Okoshi between 1968 and 1980.

Domestic appliances

See also: Toilets in Japan

A modern Panasonic microwave oven.

• Biodegradable laundry detergent (alpha-olefin sulfonate) — Lion Corporation's Dash (1967) was the first laundry detergent containing the biodegradable surfactant AOS.
• Cartridge vacuum cleaner — Panasonic's Taro SC-3000 (1968) was the first dust‑collecting vacuum cleaner using a cassette.

• Ductless air conditioner (mini-split) — In 1961, Toshiba introduced the first ductless mini-split air conditioner (AC).
  • Cross-flow fan — In 1968, Mitsubishi introduced the first wall-mounted mini‑split AC with cross-flow fan.
  • Portable air conditioner (AC) — In 1968, Toshiba introduced the first set-free room air conditioner that could be moved around the room.
• Dual flush toilet — In 1960, the first dual flush toilet system was developed by Toto Ltd.
  • Electronic bidet toilet — The INAX Sanitarina 61 (1967) was the first commercial bidet toilet with warm water spray and drying functions.
• Microwave oven with turntable — Invented by Sharp between 1964 and 1966, to promote more even heating of food.
• Whitening toothpaste (calcium phosphate) — White Lion (1961) by Lion Dentifrice was the first toothpaste incorporating calcium phosphate for tooth whitening.

Microtechnology

See also: Semiconductor industry in Japan

Electron-beam lithography (EBL) setup.

• Clocked CMOS (C²MOS) — In 1969, Toshiba developed C²MOS, a circuit technology with lower power consumption and faster operating speed than earlier CMOS.
• Dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) — Toshiba's Toscal BC-1411 (1965) calculator introduced DRAM, using bipolar transistors and capacitors as memory cells.
  • NMOS logic semiconductor memory — In 1968, NEC introduced a 144-bit NMOS static random-access memory (SRAM) chip, using NMOS transistors.
• Electron-beam lithography (EBL) — Sanyo developed the first EBL system, demonstrated at the 1964 International Electron Devices Meeting.

• Insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) — The IGBT mode of operation was first proposed by K. Yamagami and Y. Akagiri of Mitsubishi in 1968.

Intel 4004 (1971), the first single‑chip microprocessor, was co‑designed by Masatoshi Shima.

• Microprocessor — Proposed by Tadashi Sasaki in 1968. Masatoshi Shima of Busicom co‑designed the first single-chip microprocessor, Intel 4004, from 1968 to 1971.

• Optic crystals — In 1961, Junichi Nishizawa proposed crystal growth using optical energy. In 1963, he demonstrated an optically excited crystal growth method for silicon.

• Power MOSFET — In 1969, Hitachi introduced the first vertical power MOSFET.
  • Double-diffused MOSFET (DMOS) — In 1969, DMOS with self-aligned gate was first reported by Toshihiro Sekigawa's team at Electrotechnical Laboratory.
  • V-groove MOSFET (VMOS) — Invented by Hitachi in 1969.
• Silicon carbide power semiconductor — Hiroyuki Matsunami pioneered the application of silicon carbide in power electronics between 1968 and 1986.
• Three-dimensional integrated circuit (3D IC) — In 1969, a 3D IC memory chip was proposed by Katsuhiro Onoda's NEC research team.

Telecommunication

See also: Communications in Japan

A stripped multi-mode optical fiber.

• Far infrared terahertz radiation (THz) — Junichi Nishizawa first proposed the concept in 1963 and demonstrated it in 1980.
• Optical communication (fiber-optic communication) — First proposed by Junichi Nishizawa in 1963.
  • Graded-index fiber (GI fiber) — Invented by Nishizawa in 1964.
  • Multi-mode optical fiber (MMF) — A type of optical fiber invented by Junichi Nishizawa in 1964.
• Proximity sensor — In February 1960, Omron developed the first contactless proximity switch.
• Semiconductor microwave communication — In 1963, NEC developed first solid-state semiconductor microwave communications line.
  • Digital microwave communication — Masasuke Morita's NEC and NTT team (c. 1963–1968) developed first commercial PCM microwave communications system.
• Transistor repeater — In 1963, NEC developed the first fully transistorized microwave repeaters, using silicon transistors for microwave amplification.
• Wireless navigation system — In 1961, Hidetsugu Yagi designed the first wireless navigation system for military use.

Timekeeping

See also: Japanese clock

2A Seiko quartz watch using the chronograph function (movement 7T92).

• Digital stopwatch — Seiko's Stop Clock (1963), used at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, was the first digital stopwatch.
  • LCD digital watch — In 1969, Yoshio Yamasaki at Suwa Seikosha (Seiko Epson) began developing a digital watch with LCD display.
• Portable quartz clock — Seiko's Crystal Chronometer (1963), used at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, was the first portable quartz clock.
• Quartz watch (quartz revolution) — Seiko's Astron (wristwatch), developed from 1958 to 1967 and released 1969, was the first quartz wristwatch. Sparked the quartz revolution.
  • CMOS wristwatch — Suwa Seikosha began developing a CMOS IC chip for a Seiko quartz watch in 1969. It was revealed as the Seiko Analog Quartz 38SQW in 1970.
• Self-winding chronograph — In early 1969, Seiko produced the first commercial self-winding chronograph with a vertical clutch system and column wheel.
• Titanium diving watch (water resistant watch) — The Professional Diver's 600m, developed by Seiko from 1968 to 1975, was the first diver's watch with titanium case.

Transportation

See also: Transport in Japan

A lineup of JR East Shinkansen bullet trains in October 2012

• Automated fare collection (automatic ticket gate) — Between 1964 and 1967, Omron developed the first unmanned train station with automatic ticket gate.
• Automatic train control (ATC) — Developed by Japanese National Railways (JNR) between 1962 and 1966.
• Bullet train (high-speed rail) — The first commercial high-speed train was Tōkaidō Shinkansen, which began construction in 1959 and opened in 1964.
• LPG carrier — NYK's Bridgestone Maru (1962) was the first liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier ship.
• Solar-powered buoy — In May 1963, solar modules by Sharp were first commercially used for a marine application, a solar-powered lighted buoy at Yokohama Port.

1970s

See also: 1970s in Japan

Arts

Light novel bookstore in Macau.

• Bishōjo
• Capsule hotel — Designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa. Introduced in 1970 at Expo '70, it was commercialized in 1976 with the Capsule Inn Osaka at Umeda.
• Cooking comic — Cooking manga genre emerged in 1970 with Totsugeki Ramen, Cake Cake Cake and Kitchen Kenpo.
• Fatality — Fatality finishing moves first appeared in The Street Fighter (1974), a Japanese martial arts film starring Sonny Chiba.
• IMAX film — Tiger Child (1970), the first IMAX film production, was produced by Asuka Productions. It premiered at Expo '70 in the Fuji Group Pavilion.
• Light novel — The genre began during the 1970s in Japan.
• Lolita fashion — In the late 1970s, a new movement known as Otome (乙女) was founded, which inspired Lolita fashion.
• Moe (slang)
• Real robot — Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) introduced the real robot concept. Gundam and The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982) formed the basis of real robot anime.
• Steampunk animation — The earliest steampunk anime were Leiji Matsumoto's Space Battleship Yamato (1974) and Hayao Miyazaki's Future Boy Conan (1978).
  • Hadouken — Street Fighter creator Takashi Nishiyama credits the Hadouho ("Wave Motion Gun") from Space Battleship Yamato (1974) as the origin of the Hadouken.
  • Clock tower fight scene — An inventive set piece from Hayao Miyazaki's Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) that was influential in Hollywood cinema.
• Uncanny valley — Masahiro Mori first introduced the concept in his 1970 essay The Uncanny Valley Phenomenon.
• Video game comic — The earliest comic book based on video games was the manga Game Center Arashi (1978).

Audio

Sony Walkman TPS‑L2 (1979), the first personal stereo.

• 8-channel digital audio — The Denon DN-023R (1972) digital audio recorder supported 8-channel digital audio.
  • PCM adaptor — The Sony PCM-1 (1976) was the first pulse-code modulation (PCM) adaptor and the first digital audio player and recorder for consumer use.
  • Digital audio optical disc — In 1976, Sony first demonstrated a prototype optical disc recording PCM digital audio.
  • Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) — Demonstrated by Sony in 1978 with stereo 16-bit audio, 44.1 kHz sample rate and cross-interleaved error correction code.
• Digital multi-track recording — The Denon DN-023R (1972) was the first digital multitrack recorder, supporting eight PCM audio channels.
  • Digital audio mastering — The Denon DN-023R (1972) was the first PCM digital recorder for audio mastering.
  • Digital audio 24-track recording — Oki Electric developed the first 24-channel PCM digital recording equipment, sold to Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) in 1973.
• Digital Peak Meter — The Sony TC-K8 (1978) cassette recorder introduced the TN-1978 Audio Peak Level Meter, the first digital peak meter with liquid-crystal display (LCD).
• Discrete quadraphonic sound — In September 1970, JVC introduced Compatible Discrete 4 (CD-4), the first discrete quadraphonic sound system for LP records.
  • Car stereo component speakers — In 1975, Pioneer released the first component car stereo system.
• FET audio power amplifier (power amp) — In 1974, Junichi Nishizawa introduced a power MOSFET used as an audio power amp.
• High-resolution audio — The Denon DN-023R (1972) digital audio recorder introduced a high-resolution 47.25 kHz sample rate.
  • 44,100 Hz (44.1 kHz) — Sony's PCM-1600 (1978) PCM adaptor introduced the CD quality standard of 16-bit audio and 44.1 kHz sample rate.
• Line spectral pairs (LSP) — Developed by Fumitada Itakura in 1975.
• Personal stereo (Walkman) — The first personal stereo was the Sony Walkman (1979), created by Akio Morita, Masaru Ibuka and Kozo Ohsone.

Instruments

Yamaha DX7 (1983), an early digital synthesizer that was widely used during the 1980s–1990s.

• Digital synthesizer (FM synthesizer) — In 1974, Yamaha Corporation developed the first prototype digital synthesizer with frequency modulation synthesis (FM synthesis).
• Guitar synthesizer — The Roland GR-500 (1977), manufactured by Roland and FujiGen, was the first guitar synthesizer.
  • Keytar — The earliest commercial keytar was Japanese company Hillwood's RockeyBoard RB-1 (1977), a synth piano with voltage-controlled filter (VCF).
• Handheld electronic tuner — Korg's WT10 (1975) was the first battery-powered handheld electronic tuner. It was used by guitarists and bass players.
  • Chorus pedal — The Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble, released by Boss Corporation in 1976, was the first chorus pedal.
  • Overdrive pedal — The Boss OD-1 Overdrive (1977) was the first overdrive pedal.
• Microprocessor drum machine — In 1978, the Roland CR-78 and CR-68 were the first microprocessor‑based programmable rhythm machines.
• Microprocessor music sequencer — The Roland MC-8 Microcomposer (1977) was the first microprocessor‑based music sequencer.
  • Polyphonic digital sequencer — The Roland MC-8 Microcomposer (1977) was the earliest polyphonic digital sequencer.
  • CV/gate — Introduced with the Roland MC-8 Microcomposer (1977).
• Music Macro Language (MML) — The first commands for classical MML appeared on the Sharp MZ-80K (1978) computer.
• Polyphonic synthesizer with digital keyboard scanning — Yamaha GX-1 (1973) polyphonic synthesizer featured voice allocation and digital keyboard scanning.
  • Polyphonic string synthesizer — The Roland RS-101 (1975) was the earliest polyphonic string synthesizer.
• Sound chip (PCM) — The earliest was Sony's PCM-1, a PCM processor introduced in 1976.
  • DPCM sound chip (DPCM) — The earliest was Oki Electric Industry's MSM5205, an adaptive differential PCM (ADPCM) speech synthesis chip released in 1979.
• Sound module — The Roland SPV355 Pitch‑to‑Voltage Synthesizer (1979) was the earliest rack-mounted sound module.
• Touch-sensitive electronic keyboard — The Roland EP-30 (1974) electronic piano featured the first touch-sensitive keyboard.

Music

Main article: List of Japanese musical innovations

Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) in 1981: Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi.

• Chillwave — According to Mojo magazine, Haruomi Hosono's album Paraiso (1978) was "prescient of late-noughties chillwave".
• Dab (dance) — Known as "henshin" or "sentai move" in Japan, it originates from the tokusatsu show Kamen Rider (1971).
• Electro music — Pioneered by Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), with tracks such as YMO's "Computer Game / Firecracker" (1978) and Ryuichi Sakamoto's "Riot in Lagos" (1980).
• Electro-pop — Pioneered by YMO in the late 1970s, before it became popular in 1980s music.
  • Synth-pop — Pioneered by YMO in the late 1970s, before it became popular in the 1980s.
  • Gated reverb — YMO's "Computer Game / Firecracker" and "Behind the Mask" (1979) were the first songs to use gated reverb on the snare drums, a technique that later became popular in 1980s pop music.
• Grime music — The origins of grime music has been traced back to Ryuichi Sakamoto's music, notably the tracks "Grasshopper" and "End of Asia" from his album Thousand Knives (1978) and the single "Bamboo Houses" (1982).
  • Sinogrime — The origins of Sinogrime has been traced back to Sakamoto's "The End of Asia" from Thousand Knives (1978) and "Bamboo Houses" (1982).
• Orchestral digital recording — The first digitally recorded classical music album was recorded in Tokyo (April 1972) and released by Nippon Columbia.
• Quadraphonic LP record — In June 1971, JVC released Wonderful CD-4 Sound in Japan. It was the first quadraphonic LP record produced using the Compatible Discrete 4 (CD-4) quadraphonic sound system.
• Royal road progression — The earliest example of the contemporary royal road chord progression occurs in Yumi Arai's "Yasashisa ni Tsutsumareta Nara" (1974), closely followed by Arai's "Sotsugyou Shashin" (1975) released by Hi-Fi Set.
• Space music — Pioneered by Isao Tomita in the early 1970s.
• Takenoko-zoku
• Techno — Pioneered by YMO during the late 1970s to early 1980s. They coined the "techno" genre label, with releases such as "Technopolis" (1979), Technodelic (1981) and "The Spirit of Techno" (1983).
• Techno-pop — Pioneered by YMO in the late 1970s.

Computing

See also: Supercomputing in Japan

Sord M223 Mark III, an early home computer released by Sord Computer Corporation in the late 1970s.

• 3D computer graphics software — Earliest was 3D Art Graphics, a set of 3D computer graphics effects written by Kazumasa Mitazawa and released for the Apple II in 1978.
• 3D computer vision — Takeo Kanade pioneered the field of three-dimensional computer vision in the 1970s.
  • Facial recognition system — In 1970, Takeo Kanade publicly demonstrated a face‑matching system.
• Competitive learning — A form of unsupervised learning developed by Kunihiko Fukushima with the neocognitron in 1979.
  • Unsupervised learning — Pioneered by Kunihiko Fukushima with the neocognitron in 1979.
• Color display tube (CDT) — CDT is a computer color CRT display technology. In 1972, Matsushita introduced a high-resolution CDT monitor.
  • CRT controller (CRTC) — Hitachi's HD46505 (HD6845) LSI video display controller (VDC) chip, released in 1977, was the first CRTC.
• Graphics processing unit (GPU) — The Fujitsu MB14241, used in arcade video games such as Gun Fight (1975) and Space Invaders (1978), is considered the first GPU.
• Image processor — In 1970, Hitachi researchers developed an image processor for machine vision.
• Microcomputer — The Sord SMP80/08, developed by Sord Computer Corporation from 1972 to early 1973, was an early microcomputer, using the Intel 8008 microprocessor.
  • 16-bit microcomputer — The Panafacom L-16A (1976) was the earliest 16-bit microcomputer, based on the 16-bit Panafacom MN1610 (1975) microprocessor.
  • Home computer with disk drive — The Sord M200 Smart Home Computer (1977) was the earliest home desktop computer with a floppy disk drive.
• Personal computer with hard disk drive — The Sord M223 Mark VI came with a built-in hard disk drive (HDD) in 1979.
• Recurrent neural network (RNN) — In 1972, Shun'ichi Amari and Kaoru Nakano published the first papers on deep learning RNN networks.
  • Amari–Hopfield network — The Amari network (later known as Hopfield network), the earliest deep learning RNN, was first published by Shun'ichi Amari in 1972.
• Tile-based graphics — The tile-map model was introduced by Namco's arcade game Galaxian (1979), which ran on the Namco Galaxian arcade system board.
• Touch tablet word processor — Appeared in 1970s Japan. In 1979, Sharp's Shoin WD‑3000 featured touch tablet input with a touch pen.

Calculators

Casio JS-20WK pocket calculator with 7 segment LCD display.

• Battery-powered handheld calculator — Introduced in 1970 with Sharp's QT-8B Micro Compet and EL-8, the Sanyo ICC-82D, and Casio Pocketronic.
• LED calculator — In 1971, Busicom's LE-120A (Handy-LE) and LE-120S (Handy) were the first calculators to use LED displays.
• Microprocessor calculator — Busicom's 141-PF (1971) calculator was the first commercial product to use a microprocessor.
  • CMOS calculator — Between 1971 and 1972, Sharp and Toshiba co-developed the Sharp Elsi Mini, the first calculator using a CMOS LSI chip.

• Pocket calculator — In 1971, Busicom's LE-120A (Handy-LE), Handy LC and LE-120S (Handy) were the first truly pocket-sized electronic calculators.
  • Credit card size calculator — The Casio Mini Card LC-78 (1978) was the first credit card sized calculator.
• Soroban electronic calculator — In the 1970s, Suntory released a device combining a soroban abacus with an electronic calculator.
• Touchpad calculator — In 1975, Sharp released the lsimate EL-8130 Arithmetic Calculator, the first touch key calculator. Instead of a push-button keypad, it had a flat touch key interface using membrane keypad (like a touchpad or touchscreen).

Culture

Airsoft players defending an objective.

• Airsoft — Airsoft originated in Japan, then spread to Hong Kong and China in the late 1970s.
  • Airsoft gun — The inventor of the first airsoft gun was Tanio Kobayashi in the 1970s.

Nissan Silvia (S14) performing a drift (2014).

• Drifting — Kunimitsu Takahashi created drifting techniques in the 1970s.
• Direct injection expanded foam molding — The Injector series (1972) by Onitsuka Tiger were the first shoes produced using the direct Injection method.
  • Numerical control straight stitch sewing machine — Introduced by Brother Industries in 1974.
  • Computerized sewing machine — Brother's ZZ3-B820 Opus 8 (1979) was the first computerized sewing machine.
• Fudepen (brush pen) — Invented by Sailor (pen company) and introduced in 1972.
  • Blister pack — Introduced as a form of stationery packaging with Kuretake's fudepen in 1973.
• Online ATM — Oki invented an online cash dispenser, which was adopted by Fuji Bank in 1970.
• Rubber grip ballpoint pen — In 1978, Ohto introduced the first ballpoint pen with rubber grip.
• Shoot wrestling — Hybrid wrestling style pioneered in the 1970s Japanese puroresu circuit by wrestlers such as Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami.
  • Shootfighting
  • Soccer kick — A high-profile early user of soccer kicks as a finishing move was Antonio Inoki. In a 1977 puroresu match, he used it to knock out Great Antonio.
  • Strong style
• Smart card (IC card) — Kunitaka Arimura of the Arimura Technology Institute developed the idea of an IC card, and filed a smart card patent in March 1970.

Display technology

Color LCD information board at Tohoku Shinkansen train station in Tokyo.

• Color liquid-crystal display (color LCD) — In early 1975, Fumihiro Ogawa of NEC invented a multi-color liquid-crystal display (LCD).
• Digital HD (megapixel) — In 1973, Matsushita developed a 22" color CRT computer monitor with digital HD resolution of 2 megapixels and 1,125 scanlines.
• Flat-panel video display (FPD) — In 1974, Sharp demonstrated the first flat-panel display (FPD) showing video images, using thin-film electroluminescence (TFEL) technology.
• Grayscale plasma display — Developed by Mitsubishi and Hitachi in 1972.
  • Color plasma display — The first full-color plasma display prototype was demonstrated by NHK in 1978.
• Holographic 3D display — In 1970, a prototype holographic projection 3D display was developed by Takanori Okoshi of Tokyo University and A. Yano of Canon.
  • Computer-generated holography with spatial light modulator (SLM) — First proposed in 1976 by Keio University and Electrotechnical Laboratory.
• Holographic video — In 1973, Hitachi researchers Yoshito Tsunoda and Yasutsugu Takeda developed a video recording media storing video frame images as holograms.
  • Holographic video disc — In 1975, a Hitachi research team demonstrated a video disc system with audio-visual information encoded holographically.|
• Multi-function display watch (digital calendar) — The Casiotron QW02-10 (1974) was the first digital watch with an automatic calendar (auto-calendar) function.
  • Digital chronograph — The Seiko LC Chronograph (1975) was the first digital chronograph.
  • Spring Drive — A watch movement which was first conceived by Yoshikazu Akahane working for Seiko in 1977 and was patented in 1982. It features a true continuously sweeping second hand, rather than the traditional beats per time unit.
• Slot mask — A variant of shadow mask CRT display technology developed by Toshiba in 1971.
  • Deflection yoke — In 1971, JVC introduced deflection yokes for CRT displays.
• VFD color display — In 1979, Japanese company Kasei Optonics developed a multi-color VFD.

Television

See also: Television in Japan

Panasonic TX-P55ST60E (2013) 55" plasma TV.

• Active shutter 3D system (3D TV) — In the late 1970s, Matsushita developed a stereoscopic 3D TV using active shutter 3D system, commercialized in 1981.
• Color HDTV (component video) — Panasonic and NHK circa 1970–1973 developed a HDTV system with color analog component video, demonstrated in 1973.
  • Interlaced HD video — NHK circa 1970–1975 developed a Saticon video camera and CRT displays with interlaced resolutions from 935i to 2125i scanlines.
  • HD video progressive scan — NHK circa 1974–1975 developed a Saticon video camera and CRT displays with progressive scan resolutions from 610p to 1195p.
• Digital HDTV (1080i) — In 1975, Matsushita developed a prototype 30" CRT HDTV with 1510×1080 resolution.
  • HD video coding — Multiple Sub-Nyquist Sampling Encoding (MUSE), developed by NHK circa 1979–1982, was the first HDTV digital video compression standard.
• Flat-screen TV (EL display) — In 1974, Sharp demonstrated the first flat‑panel TV using thin-film electroluminescence (TFEL) technology.
  • Plasma TV — The first prototype color plasma TV was demonstrated by NHK in 1978.
• Handheld television (pocket TV) — Panasonic IC TV Model TR-001 (1970) was the first TV small enough to fit in a large pocket, with 1.5-inch display and 1.5-inch speaker.
  • Portable color TV — In 1979, Sony released the first portable color TV.
• High frame rate (500 Hz) — NHK circa 1974–1975 developed prototype HD CRT displays with frame rates higher than the 60 Hz NTSC standard, reaching up to 500 Hz frame rate.
• LCD TV — The first LCD TVs were invented as handheld TV sets in Japan. The first LCD TV prototypes were demonstrated by Hitachi in 1977 and Matsushita in 1978.
• On-screen display (OSD) — In 1972, Sharp introduced the first TV set to display a TV channel number in the corner as well as an optional digital clock on screen.
  • Interactive TV — Between 1975 and 1977, Pioneer Electronics developed Qube, the first two-way addressable, interactive cable TV system.
  • Picture-in-picture (PIP) — In 1978, Sharp's CT-1804X was the first TV that could display two programs at once on the same screen.
• Surface acoustic wave TV receiver — In 1977, Toshiba produced the first surface acoustic wave (SAW) device for TV receivers.
• Widescreen television (5:3) — Between 1970 and 1975, NHK developed widescreen TV displays for their Hi-Vision analog HDTV system. They experimented with different aspect ratios from 1:1 to 9:1 before settling on 5:3.

Video

Betamax (top) and VHS (bottom) tapes were respectively created by Japanese companies Sony and JVC.

• Betamax — An analog magnetic tape videocassette developed by Sony between 1973 and 1975. Betamax was commercially launched in early 1975.
  • Video Home System (VHS) — VHS cassette format was developed by Yuma Shiraishi and Shizuo Takano at JVC between 1973 and 1975. VHS was launched in 1975.
• Digital color video — In 1972, Toshiba's TOSBAC computer was using a digital video disk to store color digital images.
• Laserdisc player (LD player) — Pioneer released the first laserdisc (LD) player for business use in February 1979 and for home use in June 1980.
• Compact Video Cassette (CVC) — Released by Canon in early 1981.
• Videocassette player — The Sony VP‑1100 (1971) was the first videocassette player.
  • Videocassette recorder (VCR) — The Sanyo VTC-710 (1971) was the first portable videocassette recorder.
  • Combo television unit (TV/VCR combo) — The Sony LV-1901D (1975) was a combo console unit integrating a Trinitron TV and Betamax VCR.
• Video floppy — In 1977, Canon developed the first prototype video floppy disk. In 1981, Sony introduced the Video Floppy format as Mavipak in 1981 for Mavica camera.

Electronic games

See also: Video games in Japan and Arcade video game

Sega's arcade electro-mechanical game Jet Rocket (1970), the earliest first-person shooter flight simulator.

Mogura Taiji (Whac‑A‑Mole), invented by TOGO in 1975.

• 4D effect — Taito's arcade electro-mechanical game (EM game) Cycle Rider (1970) was the first game with a 4D effect in the form of wind blowing at the player.
• Cockpit arcade cabinet — In 1970, Kasco's Indy 500 (F-type) introduced a sit-down cockpit arcade cabinet.
• Cockpit controls — Sega's EM arcade game Jet Rocket (1970) introduced cockpit controls.
  • Throttle — Sega's EM arcade game Heli-Shooter (1977) involves the player piloting a helicopter using a throttle joystick to accelerate and decelerate.
• First-person shooter (FPS) — Sega's EM game Jet Rocket (1970) was the earliest FPS. Its successor Heli‑Shooter (1977) was an early microprocessor FPS.
  • Flight simulator (combat flight simulator) — Sega's EM game Jet Rocket (1970), a first-person combat flight simulator, was the first flight simulator game.
  • Car combat — Concept of ramming cars dates back to Sega's EM arcade games Stunt Car (1970) and Dodgem Crazy (1972).
  • Block breaker — In Sega's Stunt Car (1970), the car is used as a kicker to launch balls into holes on the playfield, anticipating the gameplay of Breakout (1976).
• Formula One game — Namco's EM arcade racers Formula-X (1973) and F-1 (1976) were the first Formula One electronic games.
• Interactive movie game (cinematic game) — Nintendo's Wild Gunman (1974) was the first interactive movie game.
• Ninja game — The earliest ninja game was Kasco's EM arcade shooter game Ninja Gun (1977).
• Open world — Sega's EM game Jet Rocket (1970) is considered the earliest open world game, which Sega expanded with Heli‑Shooter (1977) using microprocessor technology.
• Force feedback — Sega's arcade motorbike game Man T.T. (1976), also known as Fonz, was the first game using haptic technology for vibrating collisions.
• Full-motion video (FMV) — Nintendo's EM arcade game Wild Gunman (1974), published by Sega in North America, was the first FMV game.
  • Interactive storytelling — Wild Gunman (1974) was the first game with interactive storytelling. Alternate FMV scenes are presented depending on user action.
  • Live-action FMV — Wild Gunman (1974) was the first game to use live-action video footage, using actors who portrayed cowboy characters.
  • Quick time event (QTE) — Wild Gunman (1974) featured the earliest quick time events (QTE).
  • Adult game — The first erotic game was Nintendo's FMV arcade game Fascination (1974).
  • Female character — Nintendo's FMV game Fascination (1974) featured the earliest female character in an electronic game, portrayed by a live-action Swedish model.
• Game music tape loops — Sega introduced tape music loops to arcades with EM games such as Sand Buggy (1972).
• Light gun toy — Nintendo's Kōsenjū SP (Beam Gun) in 1970 was the first light gun toy for homes. It was developed by Nintendo's Gunpei Yokoi and Sharp's Masayuki Uemura.
• Positional gun — Earliest example of a positional gun was used for Sega's EM arcade gun game Sea Devil (1972).

• Rhythm game — In the early 1970s, Kasco created a rhythm-based EM arcade game, designed by Kenzou Furukawa, inspired by Oh Mouretsu (1969) commercials.
• Voice acting — Dates back to Nintendo's EM game Wild Gunman (1974), where the FMV intro scene has a voiced narrator giving gameplay instructions.
• Handheld electronic game — Electronic Tic-Tac-Toe (1972) by Waco (toymaker) is commonly cited as the first commercial handheld electronic game.
• Holographic 3D game — Sega's arcade electro-mechanical game Monte Carlo (1971) was the first game to display holographic animations.
• Medal game — Medal games began in Japan during the early 1970s and started becoming popular with Sega's Harness Racing (1974).
• Whac-A-Mole — Between 1974 and 1975, Kazuo Yamada of TOGO invented the first Whac-A-Mole machine, released in 1975.

Video games

Space Invaders (1978), the first shoot 'em up. It introduced concepts such as lives, levels and high score.

• 2D animated color character sprite — First appeared in Kasco's arcade game Playtron (1973).
  • Human sprite — Taito's arcade game TV Basketball (1974), designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, first represented human sprites.
  • Multi-color sprite — Taito's arcade game Super Speed Race (1977) first displayed multi-colored sprites.
  • Hardware sprite — Introduced by the Namco Galaxian arcade system board with Galaxian (1979).
• 2D scrolling (vertical scrolling) — Introduced with the vertical scrolling in arcade racing game Speed Race (1974) by Taito's Tomohiro Nishikado.
  • Side-scrolling — Dates back to Taito's arcade racing game Dead Heat (1975).
  • Multi-directional scrolling — Introduced by Tomohiro Nishikado's arcade shooter game Interceptor (1975).
  • Vertical scrolling game console — The first console with vertical scrolling was Nintendo's dedicated console Color TV-Game Racing 112 (1978).
  • Hardware scrolling — Namco Galaxian (1979) arcade board pioneered a hardware sprite system that animates pre-loaded sprites over a scrolling background.

• 2.5D scaling (pseudo-3D) — Taito's arcade game Interceptor (1975) introduced sprite scaling. Sega's Road Race (1976) enhanced it with background scaling effects.
  • Forward scrolling — Introduced by Sega's arcade driving game Road Race (1976).
• 6-player video game — Dates back to Taito's arcade racing game Dead Heat (1975).
• 16-bit video game — Universal Entertainment's arcade game Get A Way (1978) was the first game running on a 16-bit CPU.
• Adaptive music — The first example was Space Invaders (1978). Simple background music increased in tempo as time goes on and aliens descend upon the player.
  • Melodic chiptune — Nintendo's arcade game Sheriff (1979) had the earliest continuous melodic music produced from a sound chip.
• Alien invasion — Space Invaders (1978) was the first video game to depict aliens.
• Arcade conversion — Kasco's Playtron (1973) had an early prototype arcade system board that supported interchangeable games.
• Association football video game — Tomohiro Nishikado's arcade video game Soccer (1973) was the first association football (soccer) sports video game.
  • Basketball video game — Tomohiro Nishikado's arcade title TV Basketball (1974) was the first basketball video game.
• Chiptune — Taito's arcade video game Space Invaders (1978), designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, introduced the earliest continuous background music from a sound chip.
  • Bitpop — Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) set the blueprint for bitpop music during the late 1970s to early 1980s.
• Co-op action video game — Sega's arcade light gun shooter Balloon Gun (1974) was the earliest co-op action video game.
  • Maze chase game — Heiankyo Alien (1979) was an early maze chase game predating Pac-Man (1980), which established the maze chase genre.
• Cover system — In Tomohiro Nishikado's Western Gun (1975), the player characters could take cover behind destructible objects.
• Cutscene — Taito's Space Invaders Part II (1979) introduced cutscenes as brief comical intermissions between levels.
  • Narrative cutscene — The first video game with storytelling cutscenes was Nintendo's Sheriff (1979).
• Destructible object — Destructible objects were introduced by Tomohiro Nishikado's Western Gun (1975).
• Difficulty level — Dates back to Tomohiro Nishikado's Speed Race (1974).
  • Difficulty curve — The concept was accidentally invented by Tomohiro Nishikado when he created Space Invaders (1978).
  • Dynamic difficulty — Pioneered by Space Invaders (1978).
  • Enemy horde — Space Invaders (1978) was the first video game where a player had to repel hordes of hostile enemies.
  • It's not a bug, it's a feature — The earliest example of this in video games is Space Invaders (1978), where the gradually increasing speed and difficulty was originally an accident.
  • Risk and reward — Pioneered by Space Invaders (1978).
• Esports — Dates back to 1974, with Sega's All Japan TV Game Championships, a nationwide tournament in Japan.
• Fighting game — Sega's Heavyweight Champ (1976) was the first video game with fist fighting. Technōs Japan's Karate Champ (1984) established the fighting game genre.
  • Combat sports game (boxing game) — Sega's Heavyweight Champ (1976) was the first boxing video game and the first combat sports video game.
• Full-motion video (FMV) — Nintendo's EVR Race (1975) played FMV anime scenes from an Electronic Video Recording (EVR) video tape on a CRT display.
• Game watch — In 1979, Nintendo's Gunpei Yokoi proposed a watch that doubled as a miniature game machine, leading to the Game & Watch launched in 1980.
• Handheld racing wheel — Tomy's Demon Driver (1978) and Turnin' Turbo Dashboard (1983) were the first handheld games with racing wheels.
• High score — Defined by Space Invaders (1978), with high scores determined by playing to stay alive for as long as possible, as scores keep rising.
  • Save file — The first game to save the player's high score was Space Invaders (1978).
• Human combat — Tomohiro Nishikado's arcade title Western Gun (1975) was the first video game to depict human-to-human combat.
• Jumping — First appeared in Tomohiro Nishikado's arcade game TV Basketball (1974).
• Levels — Tomohiro Nishikado's Space Invaders (1978) introduced the "concept of going round after round".
  • Multiple distinct levels — Dates back to Nintendo's Sheriff (1979), which features nine distinct stages.

Sega's Fonz (1976), the first licensed game and the first motorbike video game.

• Licensed game — Sega's Fonz (1976) was the first video game to license a television character.
  • Motorcycle video game — Sega's Man T.T. (1976), later re-branded as Fonz, was the earliest racing video game featuring motorcycles.
• Light gun video game controller — First video game light gun for Magnavox Odyssey (1972) was designed and manufactured by Nintendo, based on earlier Kōsenjū SP.
• Lives — Space Invaders (1978) is credited with introducing multiple lives to video games.
  • Energy shield — SNK's arcade shoot 'em up game Ozma Wars (1979) introduced an energy supply represented numerically that depletes when taking hits.
• Multi-directional shooter — Taito's Western Gun (1975) laid the foundations for the multi‑directional shooter genre.
  • Western video game — Western Gun (1975) was the first Western genre video game.
• Named character — Nintendo's Sheriff (1979) introduced player character Mr. Jack and non-player character (NPC) Betty with individual names.
  • Female video game character — In Nintendo's Sheriff (1979), the NPC character Betty was the earliest female character in a video game.
  • Damsel in distress — Betty from Nintendo's Sheriff (1979) was the first damsel-in-distress to appear in a video game.
• Puzzle video game — Heiankyo Alien (1979) by Tokyo University's Theoretical Science Group (TSG) was the first puzzle video game.
• Shoot 'em up — Space Invaders (1978) is widely considered the first shoot 'em up. Space Invaders pitted the player against multiple enemies descending from the top of the screen.
  • Horror game — Early forerunners date back to the survival scenarios in Space Invaders (1978) and Pac-Man (1980).
  • Third-person shooter (TPS) — Radar Scope (1979) was the first shooter game with a pseudo-3D third-person perspective.
• Stealth game — Hiroshi Suzuki's Manbiki Shounen (Shoplifting Boy), released in 1979, was the stealth game. It inspired two stealth games in 1980, Taito's Lupin III and Suzuki's own sequel Manbiki Shoujo (Shoplifting Girl).
• Streaming audio in video games — Nintendo's arcade title EVR Race (1975) was the first video game to stream pre‑recorded audio from a video tape.
  • Video game voice acting — The first video game with voice acting was Nintendo's arcade game EVR Race (1975), streamed from a video tape.
• Trackball control — The earliest use of trackball controls in a video game was Sega's arcade football/soccer game World Cup, released in March 1978.
• Twin-stick shooter — Introduced with Taito's Western Gun (1975), which used one joystick for movement and a second for firing.
• Violent video game — Western Gun (1975) was the first video game to depict human violence.

Microtechnology

Stereolithography (SLA) 3D printed model of a circuit board.

• 3D microfabrication — Developed by Hideo Kodama in the 1970s, originally for 3D printing.
  • Stereolithography (SLA) — Invented by Hideo Kodama for 3D printing in the 1970s.
• Continuous wave semiconductor laser — Invented by Izuo Hayashi (1970). It's commonly used for fiber-optics, laser printers, barcode readers and optical discs.
• Dry etching (plasma etching) — In 1973, Mitsubishi introduced the use of dry etching using plasma chemistry for semiconductor device fabrication.
• Green light-emitting diode (green LED) — Developed by Junichi Nishizawa in 1971.
• High-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) — Invented by T. Mimura's team at Fujitsu between 1978 and 1979.
• Laser mask aligner — Canon's PLA-500FA (1978) was the first mask aligner with laser-based automatic alignment.
• Laterally-diffused MOSFET (LDMOS) — Introduced by Hitachi in 1977. They first manufactured LDMOS for audio power amplifiers and PA systems.
• Microlithography — Canon's FPA-141F (1975) was the first photolithography system to achieve an optical resolution more precise than 1 square micrometre.

A "sliced and unrolled" representation of a carbon nanotube as a strip of a graphene molecule.

• Nanotechnology — The field of nanotechnology was named and defined by Norio Taniguchi in 1974.
  • Carbon nanofiber (CNF) — Discovered by Morinobu Endo in the early 1970s.
  • Carbon nanotube (CNT) — Discovered by Morinobu Endo in 1976.
• Raman semiconductor laser — Junichi Nishizawa proposed the concept in 1972. In 1979, he demonstrated the first Raman semiconductor laser.
  • Raman fiber laser — The first continuous wave Raman laser using an optical fiber as the gain medium was co-developed by B.S. Kawasaki and demonstrated in 1976.
• Silicon carbide fiber (SiC fiber) — Invented by Professor Seiji Yajima at Tohoku University in the mid-1970s.
• Static induction thyristor (SITh) — Developed by Junichi Nishizawa between 1973 and 1975.
• Vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) — Short optical cavity VCSEL was proposed by Kenichi Iga in 1977 and demonstrated by Yasuharu Suematsu in 1979.

Integrated circuits

Panafacom MN1610 (1975), the first single-chip 16-bit microprocessor.

Intel 8259A, an early programmable interrupt controller (PIC) designed by Masatoshi Shima.

• 12-bit microprocessor — The Toshiba TLCS-12 (1973) was the first 12-bit microprocessor.
  • Microprocessor microcode — The Toshiba TLCS-12 (1973) introduced the first microprocessor architecture with microprogram control.
• 16-bit central processing unit (CPU) — In 1972, Sanyo developed the first prototype multi‑chip 16‑bit CPU.
  • 16-bit microprocessor — The Panafacom MN1610 (1975) was the first single‑chip 16‑bit microprocessor.

• CMOS large-scale integration (CMOS LSI) — Toshiba used C²MOS technology to develop a CMOS LSI chip for the Sharp Elsi Mini LED pocket calculator in 1971.
  • Very-large-scale integration (VLSI) — In 1972, NTT introduced a 64 kbit VLSI memory chip.
  • Hi-CMOS (twin-well CMOS) — In 1978, Toshiaki Masuhara's Hitachi team introduced the twin-well Hi‑CMOS process with the HM6147 memory chip.

• Direct memory access controller (DMA controller) — In the late 1970s, Hitachi developed a DMA microcontroller on a single LSI chip.
  • Floppy-disk controller integrated circuit (FDC IC) — In the late 1970s, Hitachi introduced a floppy disk microcontroller on a single LSI chip.
  • Magnetic-tape data storage microcontroller — Developed by Hitachi in the late 1970s.
• Microcontroller unit (MCU) — Introduced in Japan for automobiles during the early 1970s, including 4-bit and 8-bit MCUs for wipers, entertainment, locks and dashboard.

• Microscale transistor — In 1979, a metal-oxide-semiconductor FET (MOSFET) 1 μm process was demonstrated by NTT for their 64 kb DRAM memory chip.
• NMOS logic microprocessor — NEC's 4-bit μCOM-4 (1973) was the earliest NMOS microprocessor, developed by Sohichi Suzuki's NEC research team.

• Programmable interval timer (PIT) — Dates back to the Intel 8253 (1975) IC chip designed by Masatoshi Shima.
  • Programmable interrupt controller (PIC) — The first PIC was the Intel 8259 (1976) chip designed by Masatoshi Shima.
• Universal synchronous and asynchronous receiver-transmitter (USART) — Dates back to the Intel 8251 (1976) chip designed by Masatoshi Shima.

Memory

Toshiba DT01ABA100V, a hard disk drive (HDD) with 1 terabyte (TB) data storage capacity.

• 3D optical data storage (holographic data storage) — In 1971, Yasutsugu Takeda's Hitachi research team developed holographic memory data storage.
• Compact disc (CD) — Sony (Toshitada Doi) demonstrated a prototype digital optical disc in 1976 and a prototype CD with cross-interleaved error correction code in 1978.
• Gigabyte hard disk drive (GB HDD) — The NEC N7755 (1979) was the first hard disk drive (HDD) exceeding 1 gigabyte (GB) data storage, with 1.27 GB mass storage.
  • Perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) — In 1975, Shun-ichi Iwasaki invented PMR. In 2005, Toshiba released the first commercial PMR HDD.
• Multi-level cell (MLC) — 3D integrated circuit (3D IC) DRAM chips with MLC cells were developed in Japan, with stacked capacitor (1978) and trench capacitor (1982) cells.
  • Triple-level cell (TLC) — In 1978, Mitsumasa Koyanagi's Hitachi team demonstrated the first MOS memory RAM chip with TLC stacked capacitor memory cells.
• Non-volatile memory (NVM) — In 1970, Shunpei Yamazaki invented a floating-gate NVM semiconductor memory device, a precursor to flash memory.
  • EEPROM — Electrotechnical Laboratory began research in 1971 and demonstrated an electrically re‑programmable NVM in 1972.
• Optical disc drive (ODD) — Toshiba's Tosfile, developed from 1978 to 1979, was the first optical disc recorder drive. It was capable of storing digital images and documents on optical disc.

Sciences

A downburst.

• Anisotropic permanent magnet — Invented by Matsushita in 1977, after adapting their 1967 isotropic magnet into an anisotropic magnet.
• Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa matrix — Discovered by Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa in 1973, it introduced three generations of quarks.
• Fujita scale — The first scale designed to measure tornado intensity, it was introduced by Ted Fujita in 1971. The scale was widely adopted until the Enhanced Fujita scale.
  • Downburst — Downbursts, strong ground-level wind systems that emanate from a point above and blow radially, were discovered by Ted Fujita in 1974.
  • Macroburst — Ted Fujita discovered macrobursts in 1974 and classified them as downbursts larger than 4 km (2.5 mi).
  • Microburst — First discovered and identified as a small scale downburst affecting an area 4 km (2.5 mi) in diameter or less by Fujita in 1974.
• Fuzzy measure theory — Building on Lotfi A. Zadeh's fuzzy logic, M. Sugeno introduced the concept of fuzzy measures in 1972.
  • Sugeno integral — Introduced by M. Sugeno in 1974.
• Kenmotsu manifold — Discovered by Katsuei Kenmotsu in 1972.
• Kuramoto model — Developed by Yoshiki Kuramoto.
  • Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation — Developed by Yoshiki Kuramoto.
  • Non-linear synchronization — Yoshiki Kuramoto pioneered the non-linear model of the synchronization phenomenon.
• Polyisoprene synthetic rubber — Developed by Kuraray in 1972.
• Quantum Hall effect — First predicted by Tsuneya Ando's Tokyo University team in 1975.
• Statin — The statin class of drugs was first discovered by Akira Endo (biochemist) while working for pharmaceutical company Sankyo between 1972 and 1973.
  • Mevastatin (compactin) — The first discovered member of the statin class. It was discovered by Akira Endo in 1973.
  • Lovastatin — Discovered by Endo between 1978 and 1979.
• Superabsorbent polymer (SAP) — First commercialized by Sanyo Chemical in 1978.

Biomedical science

Cup Noodles by Nissin Foods.

• 3D holographic X-ray microscope — In 1975, Tokyo University researchers Sadao Aoki and Seishi Kikuta invented a 3D medical imaging holographic X-ray microscope.
• Antiparasitic drugs — Discovered by Satoshi Ōmura in 1978, including avermectin, endectocide and ivermectin. He won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
• Atomic force microscopy — In 1976, the first micrograph of atomic arrangements was taken with JEOL Electron Microscope.
  • High-resolution field-emission microscope — In 1978, Hitachi developed the first field emission electron microscope with high image resolution.
• Cross-coupling reaction — Discovered by Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki in the 1970s, for which they were awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
• Cup noodle — Momofuku Ando invented the first cup noodle, Nissin Cup Noodles, introduced by Nissin Foods in 1971.
• Dementia with Lewy bodies — First described in 1976 by psychiatrist Kenji Kosaka. He was awarded the Asahi Prize in 2013 for his discovery.
• ECG monitor — In 1976, JVC introduced the first electrocardiogram (ECG) medical monitor.
• Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) — This surgical procedure was developed in Japan by M. Tada, M. Murata and F. Murakami between 1974 and 1984.
• High-resolution ultrasound machine — Developed by Toshiba between 1971 and 1975.
  • Ultrasound vector monitor — In 1975, JVC introduced the first 8-inch X-Y monitor for ultrasound.
• Non-mydriatic retinal camera — The first non-mydriatic retinal camera was the Canon CR-45NM (1976).
• Pulse oximetry (pulse oximeter) — Developed in 1972 by Takuo Aoyagi and Michio Kishi, bioengineers at Nihon Kohden. The surgeon Susumu Nakajima and his associates first tested the device on patients, reported in 1975.
• V(D)J recombination — Discovered by Susumu Tonegawa in 1976, for which he was awarded the 1987 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Technology

A 3D printer.

• 3D printing — Invented by Hideo Kodama in the 1970s. In 1980, he invented two additive methods for fabricating 3D plastic models with photo-hardening thermoset polymer.
• Brushless motor generator (BLMG) — Developed by Toyo Denki in 1972.
• Compact fluorescent bulb — Toshiba began development after the 1973 oil crisis and had a trial run in 1978, before commercializing it as the Neo Ball in 1980.
• Compact copier — The Fuji Xerox 2200 (1973) by Fujifilm was the first compact photocopier.
• Ductless multi-split AC — Multi-zone ductless AC systems were invented by Daikin in 1973. It was first sold in Japan.

A typical electronic bidet washlet in Japan.

• Heated toilet seat — The INAX Sanitarina F1 (1976) bidet toilet introduced a heated toilet seat.
  • Low-flush toilet — Toto's CS Series (1976) was the first water saving toilet with noise reduction.
  • Washlet — Between 1978 and 1980, Toto developed the first washlet, the Washlet G. It featured warm water spray, heated seat and dryer functions.
• Individual quick freezing (IQF) — A quick freezer for whipped cream was developed by Norio Owada of Abi in the 1970s.
• Intelligent assembly robot — In 1970, Hitachi researchers invented an intelligent assembly robot for factory automation. A computer with image processor was used for machine vision.
  • Multi-arm robot — In 1977, Nissan and Toshiba developed the first multi-arm robot. It performed the work of four conventional industrial robots, with simultaneous multi-spot welding capabilities.
• ISO 400 — Fujifilm's Fujicolor 400 (1976) was the first ISO 400 color print film.
• Laser printer — The earliest commercial laser desktop printer was developed by Canon in 1975. The Canon LBP-10 (1979) was a notable early desktop laser printer.
• LED phosphor — In 1973, S. Tabuchi proposed a light-emitting diode (LED) structure that combines LED with phosphors, later the basis for white LED.
• LED printer — Between 1977 and 1981, Oki developed the first LED page printer, released as the Oki OPP6100 in 1981.
• Minilab — The first minilab, the QSS-1 (Quick Service System 1), was introduced by Noritsu in 1976.
• Lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) — Discovered by Koichi Mizushima (scientist) and John Goodenough circa 1979–1980, later used for lithium-ion battery (LIB) technology.
• Model robot — Bandai began selling toy model robots in the 1970s.
• Quadrupedal robot — Invented by Shigeo Hirose in 1978.
  • Climbing robots — Invented by Shigeo Hirose in 1979.
• Self-holding reed switch — In 1971, Fujitsu introduced the first practical application of self‑holding reed switches.
• Sensor microwave oven — In 1979, Sharp introduced the first microwave oven incorporating sensor and microcomputer technologies.
• Snake robot — Invented by Shigeo Hirose in 1972.
  • Spider robot — Invented by Shigeo Hirose in 1976.
• Soft robotics — Shigeo Hirose invented the first soft robotic gripper in 1977.
• Solar-powered electronic game — Kōsenjū SP (1970), a light gun developed by Nintendo and Sharp, was the first electronic game device using solar cell technology.
  • Solar-powered calculator — The Sharp EL-8026 Sunman (1976) was the first solar‑powered electronic calculator, using solar cell technology.
  • Solar watch — Citizen Watch Crystron Solar Cell (1976) was the first quartz watch using solar cells. Citizen Watch Eco-Drive (1995) was the first Ecomark certified watch.
• Thermal printing fax — Oki developed the first thermal-type facsimile machine (fax), sold to Nihon Keizai Shimbun in 1973.
• Vector control (motor) — Yaskawa's Varispeed-626TV, developed in the 1970s and demonstrated in 1978, was the first vector control inverter drive.
• Water transfer printing (hydrographics) — Japanese company Taica invented cubic printing in 1974.

Cameras

Konica C35 AF (1977), the first point-and-shoot 35 mm camera.

• Aperture priority — The Asahi Pentax ES (1971) was the first SLR camera with aperture priority auto-exposure.
• Autofocus camera (AF camera) — The Konica C35 AF (1977) was the first camera with autofocus.
• Color digital camera (3CCD) — In 1977, a Sony research team led by M. Abe developed the first digital color CCD camera using three CCD image sensors.
  • Still video camera (SVC) — First prototype SVC to be developed was the Canon SV Camera (1977). First SVC to be demonstrated was the Sony Mavica (1981).
• Color single-tube video camera — Nippon Columbia's FIC Vidicon (1970), using a filter integrated color (FIC) Vidicon, was the first single-tube color video camera.
  • Solid-state electronic video camera — The Sanyo VC-100 (1971) was the first solid‑state electronic video camera.
  • Electronic viewfinder (EVF) — The Sanyo 3-VMI (1971) was the first 3" electronic viewfinder, with instant playback on the Sanyo VC‑100 and VC‑730 video cameras.
• Color video home movie camera — In 1973, Toshiba released the first color video camera for home use.
  • CCD sensor video camera — In 1978, Sony developed the first practical CCD video camera.
• Electronic memory — The Asahi Pentax Electro Spotmatic (ES), released in 1971, introduced the use of electronic memory in a camera.
  • Electronic camera integrated circuit — Nikon's Nikkormat EL (1972) was the first camera with a monolithic integrated circuit (IC) chip.
  • Electronic camera microprocessor — The Canon AE-1 (1976) was the first camera with a central processing unit (CPU) computer chip. The Canon A-1 (1978) introduced the first camera-based microprocessor system.
• High-speed camera — The Asahi Pentax ES (1971) introduced an electronic shutter with variable shutter speeds up to 1 millisecond.
• LED viewfinder — Fujifilm's Fujica ST 801 (1972) SLR camera introduced a viewfinder with digital LED display.
• Open-aperture metering — The Asahi Pentax Electro-Spotmatic (ES), released in 1971, was equipped with the first TTL open‑aperture metering.
• Pinned photodiode (PPD) — Developed by Sony, Toshiba and NEC between 1975 and 1980.
  • Hole accumulation diode (HAD) — Developed by Yoshiaki Hagiwara's team at Sony between 1975 and 1980.
• Point-and-shoot 35 mm camera — The Konica C35 AF (1977) and Canon AF35M Sure Shot (1979) were the first 35 mm point‑and-shoot electronic cameras.

Telecommunication

• Bit Error Rate Tester (BERT) — In 1977, Anritsu developed the first 2 Gigabit/s ultra high‑speed bit error rate detector.
• Caller ID — In 1976, Kazuo Hashimoto built the first prototype of a caller ID display device that could receive caller information.
• Color videophone — In 1970, Toshiba developed the first color videophone.
• Fiber-optic cable — In 1975, NEC and Tokyo Electric Power Company conducted the first comprehensive field test of a fiber‑optic cable system.
  • Optical Transmission System — In 1976, Hitachi successfully demonstrated the first optical transmission system.
  • Fiber-optic communications system — In 1977, NEC developed the first commercial fiber-optic communications system.
  • Multi-core fiber (MCF) — Invented by S. Inao of Furukawa Electric in 1979.
• Gigabit per second (Gbit/s) — In 1979, Takashi Kimura of NTT demonstrated 1 Gbit/s fibre-optic transmission over 20 km.
• Infrared remote control — Introduced with Matsushita's TH-6600FR (1972) color TV, able to switch on and off, change channels and adjust volume.
• Mobile network (1G) — In 1979, the first mobile cellular network was 1G, launched by NTT in Japan.
  • 800 MHz frequency band — Introduced in Japan with NTT's 1G network in 1979.
  • Commercial mobile phone — The Panasonic TZ‑801 (1979) was the first commercial cellular mobile phone, using NTT's 1G network.
  • Frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) — Introduced with NTT's 1G network in 1979.
• RC car wheel transmitter — Futaba Corporation's FP-T2F (1974) was the first RC transmitter to allow RC cars to be wirelessly controlled by a wheel controller.
• Wireless game console (wireless controller) — The earliest was the TV Tennis Electrotennis (1975) home console by Epoch Co. It connected to TV via ultra high frequency (UHF) antenna.

Transportation

Electronic stability control (ESC) control light

• Attitude direction indicator control display unit (ADI CDU) — In 1975, Matsushita developed a HIS ADI CDU system with CRT display for aircraft cockpit.
• Aurora space photography — In 1978, Hamamatsu Photonics developed a space-borne TV camera that captured the first aurora images from outer space.
• Automatic climate control — The first automatic automotive air conditioning systems were introduced by Toyota and Nissan in 1971.
• Automatic transmission rotary engine — The Mazda Capella (1970) introduced the Mazda 12A engine, the first rotary engine with automatic transmission.
• Automotive engine microcomputer — The earliest automobile microcomputer was Toshiba's Electronic Engine Control (EEC) in the early 1970s.
• Automotive navigation — MITI's CATC (Comprehensive Automobile Traffic Control) in 1973 and JSK (Electronic Technology for Automatic Traffic and Driving) in 1979.
• Combined braking system (CBS) — The first CBS was introduced with the Honda RCB1000 motorcycle in 1976.
  • Oval piston engine — A piston engine using oval cylinders, it was developed by Honda and introduced with the Honda NR500 motorcycle in 1979.
  • 8-valve engine — Introduced with Honda's oval piston engine for the Honda NR500 in 1979.
• Destination dispatch elevator control — In 1972, Hitachi introduced the first instant-reservation-type fully-automatic group control elevator.
  • Computer elevator control — In 1973, a Hitachi research team led by Tatsuo Iwaska proposed an elevator control system using digital circuits and computer.
• Electronic control unit (ECU) — In the early 1970s, the Japanese electronics industry began producing IC chips and microcontrollers for controlling vehicle engines.
  • Transmission control unit (TCU) — Transmission control was introduced by Toyota in 1970.
  • Electronically controlled anti-lock braking system (ABS) – ABS control was introduced by Toyota and Nissan in 1971.
  • Engine control unit (ECU) — Toshiba's Electronic Engine Control (EEC), using Toshiba TLCS-12, was developed from 1971 to 1973 and released in 1974.
• Electronic stability control (ESC) – The 1971 Toyota Crown introduced Electronic Skid Control (ESC).
• Fuel injection control — Introduced by Toyota and Nissan in 1971.
• Fibre-optic submarine communications cable (Trans Pacific Cable) — Co-developed by KDDI and began development in 1977.
  • Fibre-optic remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROUV) — Co-designed by A. Nakagawa and demonstrated in 1978.
  • Computer-aided voice control — In 1979, A. Nakagawa at Naval Ocean Systems Center demonstrated computer-aided voice control with telemetry system.
• Fuzzy control system — Between 1978 and 1986, Hitachi engineers developed the first practical fuzzy logic control system for the Sendai Subway Namboku Line.
• Personal watercraft (PWC) — Kawasaki's Jet Ski (1973) was the first stand-up PWC. The Jet Ski was the first commercially successful and practical PWC.
• Satellite modem — In 1978, Fujitsu developed the first satellite communications burst modem.
  • Satellite HDTV — NHK used Yuri, a Japanese broadcasting satellite launched in 1978, to demonstrate HDTV satellite transmission in 1979.
• Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) — The first large-scale SCR was installed by IHI Corporation in 1978.
• Self-driving car (vehicular automation) — The first self-driving car was designed by Tsukuba Mechanical Engineering Lab in 1977, using cameras and analog computer.
• Single channel per carrier (SCPC) — In 1973, Fujitsu developed the first SCPC satellite communications system.

Late 20th century

1980s

Main article: List of Japanese inventions and discoveries (since 1980)

1990s

Main article: List of Japanese inventions and discoveries (since 1980)

21st century

Main article: List of Japanese inventions and discoveries (since 1980)

See also

• Economy of Japan
  • Construction industry of Japan
  • Electronics industry in Japan
  • Japanese financial system
• History of typography in East Asia
• List of automotive superlatives
• List of Chinese inventions
  • List of Chinese discoveries
  • List of Taiwanese inventions and discoveries
• List of Japanese gaming innovations
  • List of firsts in gaming history
• List of Japanese inventions and discoveries (since 1980)
• List of Japanese musical innovations
• List of Korean inventions and discoveries
• Rail transport in Japan
  • History of rail transport in Japan
• Science and technology in Japan
  • History of science and technology in Japan
  • List of military aircraft of Japan
  • List of ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy
  • Nuclear power in Japan
• Sports in Japan
• Ten Japanese Great Inventors