is a Japanese

multinational corporation A multinational company (MNC), also referred to as a multinational enterprise (MNE), a transnational enterprise (TNE), a transnational corporation (TNC), an international corporation or a stateless corporation with subtle but contrasting senses, i ...

specializing in measuring instruments and metrological technology, headquartered at Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki,

Kanagawa is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanagaw ...

.Company Profile
" Mitutoyo. Retrieved on May 13, 2013. "20-1, Sakado 1-Chome, Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa 213-8533, Japan" It was founded in 1934 by Yehan Numata ( 沼田恵範 ''Numata Ehan'').

History

Mitutoyo was founded by Japanese entrepreneur Yehan Numata in 1934. Numata had spent the decade of the 1920s in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

where he studied at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. While studying, he left a profound impression on those at Berkeley, which led him to be recognized many years later. He first entered the

to study in 1921 and spent the next few years studying mathematics and statistics as an

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

. He remained at

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant uni ...

until 1928 when he received his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

. Numata returned to his native Japan where he launched the Mitutoyo Corporation. It is believed that growing up in the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

in Japan and also witnessing the

' industrial markets prior to

The Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, gave Numata inspiration to form his own corporation. On October 22, 1934, Mitutoyo was established by Numata. At the time of launch, Mitutoyo only had a single product, the

micrometer Micrometer can mean: * Micrometer (device), used for accurate measurements by means of a calibrated screw * American spelling of micrometre The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; ...

. The 1930s in Japan was a period of industrialization and Numata was part of a wider movement to begin to produce foreign technology domestically. Prior to this, Japan was heavily focused on textiles, with Mitutoyo forming the foundations for the technically advanced Japan we see today. The Japanese government invested heavily in the 1930s in infrastructure, especially on the railway. This led to the rapid growth of manufacturing across various sectors. This focus on manufacturing, allowed Numata to form a research and development facility in Kamata, Tokyo where he began to experiment with the creation of

s. Over a period of three years, Numata developed Mitutoyo's first product, a Japanese-manufactured micrometer. In order to promote the new product, a promotional towel was created, which read ''"The World's Best Micrometer."'' Following the breakout of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, manufacturing demand in numerous countries intensified, due to the heavy demand for advanced military equipment. However, this demand meant that often shortcuts were taken and standardization was not common. This meant that

s were often produced that were substandard, with only a few manufacturers able to deliver high-quality micrometers. Numata differentiated his products by offering high quantities with standardization. This movement in Mitutoyo and other manufacturing companies during

eventually led to the creation of

Just-in-time manufacturing Lean manufacturing is a production method aimed primarily at reducing times within the production system as well as response times from suppliers and to customers. It is closely related to another concept called just-in-time manufacturing (J ...

. As electronic technology became more widespread in the 1970s, Mitutoyo applied electronics to its line of dimensional gaging equipment to include electronic, or digital, measuring tools. During this time it also began to offer larger, more complex and more sensitive measuring instruments, including

optical comparator An optical comparator (often called just a comparator in context) or profile projector is a device that applies the principles of optics to the inspection of manufactured parts. In a comparator, the magnified silhouette of a part is projected up ...

s, form measuring equipment, and coordinate measuring machines (CMMs). As

statistical process control Statistical process control (SPC) or statistical quality control (SQC) is the application of statistical methods to monitor and control the quality of a production process. This helps to ensure that the process operates efficiently, producing ...

(SPC) was introduced, Mitutoyo led the world in the development of output gages, interfaces, data collectors and analysis software to take advantage of this new metrological science. When the computer made its way into the field of metrology, Mitutoyo again shifted its focus to include this technology into its product offering and push measuring accuracies into the sub-micrometre range. Today, Mitutoyo presents its 6,000+ products as integrated, computer-based metrology systems, where they can be interconnected to form closed-loop-measuring networks.

Mitutoyo America Corporation

Mitutoyo America Corporation was formed in 1963 and is headquartered in Aurora, Illinois (just outside

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

). Mitutoyo America offers the full product line of precision measuring tools, instruments and equipment with a distribution network, training and education classes, software development, and service support to provide a comprehensive metrology organization. The company name is usually spelled in the

Kunrei-shiki is the Cabinet-ordered romanization system for transcribing the Japanese language into the Latin alphabet. Its name is rendered ''Kunreisiki rômazi'' in the system itself. Kunrei-shiki is sometimes known as the Monbushō system in English bec ...

Nihon-shiki Nihon-shiki ( ja, 日本式ローマ字, "Japan-style," romanized as ''Nihonsiki'' in the system itself), is a romanization system for transliterating the Japanese language into the Latin alphabet. Among the major romanization systems for Japan ...

manner "Mitutoyo". Because most publications for foreigners as of 2000 require the usage of Hepburn romanization, as of 2000 in the Tokyo Anglophone yellow pages the company name is rendered in the Hepburn style "Mitsutoyo". Following the opening of the

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...

manufacturing base in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

, England, it was announced that Mitutoyo would be an active partner in the supply chain.

Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai

Dr. Yehan Numata is the founder of Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai (BDK), the Society for the Promotion of Buddhism, which sponsors the Buddhist Canon Translation Project.

Conviction for illegal activities

On 14 September 2006, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor’s Office indicted four former executives of the Mitutoyo Corporation. The company was penalized for violating the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law prohibiting the company from exporting any products for 6 months and from exporting measuring devices for an additional 2½ years (2007–mid 2010). In addition, the Japanese court gave the former executives multi-year jail sentences (suspended) and fined Mitutoyo ¥45 million (approx. 350,000 USD). It was found that Mitutoyo created software for their products that would falsify the accuracy of the measurements taken in order to circumvent customs inspections. There is evidence that a portion of Mitutoyo’s illegal exports helped in nuclear-weapon programs in Libya, Iran, and North Korea. In particular, several Mitutoyo coordinate-measuring machines were allegedly sold to

Scomi The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the state ...

Precision Engineering in Malaysia. The Scomi scandal was part of a wider arms-smuggling operation masterminded by Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan.Video of NHK News Bulletin Item

References

External links

Mitutoyo America

Mitutoyo South Asia Pvt. Ltd.

Mitutoyo Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.
{{Authority control Technology companies of Japan Instrument-making corporations Companies based in Kanagawa Prefecture 1934 establishments in Japan Technology companies established in 1934 Metrology Japanese brands