The was a prominent

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

aircraft manufacturer An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology indust ...

and

aviation engine An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbines, although a few have been rocket powered and in recent years many ...

manufacturer throughout

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 opposin ...

. It continues as the car and aircraft manufacturer

Subaru ( or ; ) is the automaker, automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate (company), conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, twenty-first ...

History

The Nakajima Aircraft company was Japan's first aircraft manufacturer, and was founded in 1918 by

Chikuhei Nakajima , was a Japanese naval officer, engineer, and politician, who is most notable for having founded Nakajima Aircraft Company in 1917, a major supplier of airplanes in the Empire of Japan. He also served as a cabinet minister. Biography Nakajim ...

, a naval engineer, and Seibei Kawanishi, a textile manufacturer, as . In 1919, the two founders split and Nakajima bought out Nihon Aircraft's factory with tacit help from the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

. The company was renamed Nakajima Aircraft Company in 1919. The company's manufacturing facilities consisted of the following: * Tokyo plant * Musashino plant * Donryu plant * Ota plant, near Ōta Station. Visited by

Emperor Shōwa Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...

on November 16, 1934. Critically damaged by American bombardment on February 10, 1945. Currently a

Subaru Corporation is a Japanese multinational corporation and conglomerate primarily involved in both terrestrial and aerospace transportation manufacturing. It is best known for its line of Subaru automobiles. Founded in 1953, the company was formerly named ( ...

plant for

kei trucks A kei truck, kei-class truck, or Japanese mini truck is a mini truck, a tiny but practical pickup truck available in rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive versions, built to satisfy the Japanese '' keijidōsha'' (軽自動車, "light vehicle") st ...

. * Koizumi plant, near Nishi-Koizumi station. Critically damaged by American bombardment on April 3, 1945. Currently a

Sanyo , stylized as SANYO, is a Japanese electronics company and formerly a member of the Fortune Global 500, ''Fortune'' Global 500 whose headquarters was located in Moriguchi, Osaka, Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo had over 230 subsidiari ...

plant.

After World War II

After Japan's defeat in World War II, the company was forced to close, as the production and research of aircraft was prohibited by the

Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the United States-led Allied occupation of Japan following World War II. It issued SCAP Directives (alias SCAPIN, SCAP Index Number) to the Japanese government, aiming to suppress its "milit ...

. This had a severe impact on Nakajima as one of the two largest aircraft manufacturers in Japan; the second was

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is a Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group and its automobile division is the predecessor of Mitsubishi Mo ...

(MHI). Unlike MHI, Nakajima did not diversify into shipbuilding and general machinery, and so was forced to dissolve into a number of spin-off companies set up by its former managers, engineers, and workers. As a result, leading aeronautical engineers from the company, such as

Ryoichi Nakagawa was a Japanese aircraft/automotive engineer. He graduated from Tokyo Imperial University in 1936 and joined Nakajima Aircraft Company in the same year. Career He improved Nakajima Sakae engine for Mitsubishi A6M Zero, Nakajima Ki-43 and other p ...

, helped transform Japan's automobile industry. The company was reborn as

Fuji Heavy Industries is a Japanese multinational corporation and conglomerate primarily involved in both terrestrial and aerospace transportation manufacturing. It is best known for its line of Subaru automobiles. Founded in 1953, the company was formerly named ( ...

, maker of

Fuji Rabbit The Fuji Rabbit is a motor scooter produced in Japan by Fuji Heavy Industries (now Subaru Corporation) from 1946 through 1968. The Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan rates the Fuji Rabbit S-1 model introduced in 1946 as one of their ''240 ...

scooters and

automobiles, and as Fuji Precision Industries (later renamed

Prince Motor Company The Prince Motor Company (Japanese: ) was an automobile marque from Japan which eventually merged into Nissan in 1966. It began as the Tachikawa Aircraft Company, a manufacturer of various airplanes for the Japanese Army in World War II, e.g. ...

, which merged with

Nissan , trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...

in August 1966), manufacturer of

Prince Skyline A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land. City skylines ...

and

Prince Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkin ...

automobiles. Fuji began aircraft production in the mid-1950s and produced military training aircraft and helicopters for the

Japan Self-Defense Forces The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the ...

. In 2017, it rebranded as

Products

Company designations

* DB * DF * K * MS * NC * NJ/NZ * NY * PA * PE * Q * RZ * S * Y3B * YM

Naval aircraft

B5N Type 97 Carrier Attack Bomber Kate B5N-25s

Fighter

* A1N - - 1927 carrier-borne fighter; licensed copy of the Gloster Gambet * A2N - - 1930 carrier biplane fighter * A4N - - 1935 carrier-borne fighter * A6M2-N - - 'Rufe' 1941 floatplane version of the

Mitsubishi A6M Zero The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 19 ...

J1N The is a twin-engine aircraft used by the Japanese Imperial Navy during World War II and was used for reconnaissance, night fighter, and ''kamikaze'' missions. The first flight took place in May 1941. It was given the Allied reporting name "Irvin ...

- - 'Irving' 1941 Navy land-based night fighter * J5N - - 1944 Navy land-based single-seat twin-engine interceptor prototype * Kikka - - 1945 jet-engined interceptor prototype; Japan's first jet aircraft

Trainer

* A3N - - 1936 two-seat trainer developed from the A2N

Torpedo bomber

* B3N - 1933 Navy torpedo bomber prototype, lost to the

Yokosuka B3Y The Kugisho B3Y, or Navy Type 92 Carrier Attack Bomber, also popularly titled Yokosuka B3Y, was a Japanese aircraft carrier, carrier-based torpedo bomber of the 1930s. It was designed by the Naval Air Technical Arsenal at Yokosuka, and while unim ...

* B4N - 1936 Navy torpedo bomber prototype, lost to the

Yokosuka B4Y The Yokosuka B4Y, (Navy Type 96 Carrier Attack Bomber), carrier-borne torpedo bomber was used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service from 1936 to 1943. The B4Y replaced the Mitsubishi B2M2 and was the last biplane bomber used operationally ...

B5N The Nakajima B5N ( ja, 中島 B5N, Allied reporting name "Kate") was the standard carrier-based torpedo bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) for much of World War II. Although the B5N was substantially faster and more capable than its Al ...

- - 'Kate' 1937 Navy torpedo bomber * B6N - - 'Jill' 1941 Navy torpedo bomber

Scout and reconnaissance aircraft

* C2N - land-based reconnaissance aircraft based on the

Nakajima Ki-6 The was a licensed-produced version of the Fokker Super Universal transport built by Nakajima Aircraft Company in the 1930s. Initially used as an airliner, the militarized version was used by the Imperial Japanese Army in a variety of roles, r ...

* C3N - - 1936 carrier-borne reconnaissance aircraft * C6N - - 'Myrt' 1943 carrier-borne reconnaissance aircraft * E2N - - 1927 reconnaissance aircraft * E4N - 1930 reconnaissance aircraft * E8N - - 'Dave' 1935 reconnaissance seaplane * E12N - 1938 reconnaissance seaplane prototype, lost to the Kawanishi E12K

Dive bomber

* D3N - 1936 carrier-based dive bomber prototype based on the C3N and B5N, lost to the

Aichi D3A The Aichi D3A Type 99 Carrier Bomber ( Allied reporting name "Val") is a World War II carrier-borne dive bomber. It was the primary dive bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and was involved in almost all IJN actions, including the a ...

Heavy bomber

* G5N - - 'Liz' 1941 heavy four-engine long-range heavy bomber * G8N - - 'Rita' 1945 heavy four-engine long-range heavy bomber * G10N - - 1945 projected six-engine long-range bomber

Transport

* L1N - naval version of Ki-34 * L2D - -1939 Navy transport aircraft; licensed copy of

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

Army aircraft

Fighter

* - fighter-trainer, license-built

Nieuport 24 The Nieuport 24 (or Nieuport XXIV C.1 in contemporary sources) was a World War I French sesquiplane fighter aircraft designed by Gustave Delage as a development of the successful Nieuport 17. The Nieuport 24 had the misfortune to be the penult ...

* - biplane fighter, license-built

Nieuport-Delage NiD 29 The Nieuport-Delage NiD.29 was a French single-seat biplane fighter (C.I category) designed and built by Nieuport-Delage for the French Air Force. Design and development The prototype NiD.29 was an equal-span biplane with ailerons on both u ...

* - 1931 parasol monoplane fighter * Ki-8 - 1934 fighter prototype * Ki-11 - 1934 fighter prototype, lost to the

Kawasaki Ki-10 The was the last biplane fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army, entering service in 1935. Built by Kawasaki Kōkūki Kōgyō K.K. for the Imperial Japanese Army, it saw combat service in Manchukuo and in North China during the early stage ...

* Ki-12 - 1936 fighter prototype, lost to the

Mitsubishi Ki-18 The was an unsuccessful and unsolicited attempt by Mitsubishi to meet a 1934 requirement issued by the Japanese Army for a modern single-seat monoplane fighter suitable to the needs of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. During this competiti ...

* Ki-27 - - late 1936 Army monoplane fighter *Ki-37 - 1937 fighter (project only) *

Ki-43 The Nakajima Ki-43 ''Hayabusa'' (, " Peregrine falcon", "Army Type 1 Fighter" ) is a single-engine land-based tactical fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service in World War II. The Allied reporting name was "Oscar", but it was ...

- or - 'Oscar' 1939 Army fighter * Ki-44 - or - 'Tojo' 1940 Army fighter *Ki-53 - multi-seat heavy fighter (project only) * Ki-58 - escort fighter prototype * Ki-62 - 1941 prototype fighter, competed with

Kawasaki Ki-61 The Kawasaki Ki-61 ''Hien'' (飛燕, "flying swallow") is a Japanese World War II fighter aircraft. Used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service, it was designated the "Army Type 3 Fighter" (三式戦闘機). Allied intelligence initially b ...

design * Ki-63 - version of Ki-62 powered by a radial engine * Ki-69 - escort fighter version of

Mitsubishi Ki-67 The Mitsubishi Ki-67 ''Hiryū'' (飛龍, "Flying Dragon"; Allied reporting name "Peggy") was a twin-engine heavy bomber produced by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company and used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service and Imperial Japanese Navy Air Serv ...

(project only) *Ki-75 - heavy fighter (project only) * Ki-84 - or - 'Frank' 1943 Army fighter * Ki-87 - 1945 high-altitude fighter-interceptor prototype *Ki-101 - twin-engine night fighter (project only) * Ki-113 - Ki-84 with some steel parts (project only) * Ki-116 - 1945 single-seat fighter prototype * Ki-117 - production designation of the Ki-84N *Ki-118 - short-range fighter modified from the

Mitsubishi A7M The Mitsubishi A7M ''Reppū'' (烈風, "Strong Wind") was designed as the successor to the Imperial Japanese Navy's A6M Zero, with development beginning in 1942. Performance objectives were to achieve superior speed, climb, diving, and armament o ...

(project only) *Ki-337 - two-seat fighter (project only)

Bomber

* B-6 - license-built Bréguet 14B.2 *Ki-13 - attack aircraft (project only) * Ki-19 - 1937 Army twin-engine heavy bomber (prototypes only), lost to the

Mitsubishi Ki-21 The (Allied reporting name: "Sally" /"Gwen") was a Japanese heavy bomber during World War II. It began operations during the Second Sino-Japanese War participating in the Nomonhan Incident, and in the first stages of the Pacific War, including ...

*Ki-31 - two-seat light bomber (project only) * Ki-49 - or - 'Helen' 1941 Army medium bomber * Ki-52 - dive bomber (project only) * Ki-68 - proposed bomber version of G5N

Reconnaissance

* Ki-4 - - 1933 reconnaissance biplane

Transport

* Ki-6 - - 1930 transport, training aircraft; licensed copy of the

Fokker Super Universal ] The Fokker Super Universal was an airliner produced in the United States in the late 1920s, an enlarged and improved version of the Fokker Universal, fitted with cantilever wings and an enclosed cockpit. It was subsequently also manufactured und ...

*Ki-16 - cargo transport/ground refueling aircraft (project only) * Nakajima Ki-34, Ki-34 - - 'Thora' 1937 Army transport aircraft version of

AT-2 The 3M11 ''Fleyta'' (flute, NATO reporting name AT-2 ''Swatter'') is a Soviet MCLOS radio command anti-tank missile. Various improved versions were designated 9M17 ''Falanga'' Development The missile was developed by the Nudelman OKB-16 desig ...

*Ki-41 - cargo transport (project only)

Trainer

* - trainer, license-built version of the

Nieuport 83 Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...

trainer

Kamikaze aircraft

* Ki-115 - - 1945

kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...

aircraft; in IJN service, it was called * Ki-230 - projected kamikaze aircraft

Civil aircraft

* Nakajima-Douglas DC-2 - license-built Douglas DC-2 * Super Universal - 1930 airliner; license-built Fokker Super Universal * AN-1 - a Ki-11 prototype converted to a liaison/courier aircraft for the * AT-1 - original design of AT-2 *

- 1936 passenger transport * LB-2 - - 1936 navy's bomber prototype turned airliner * N-19 - a Ki-19 prototype converted to a mail plane for the * Nakajima N-36 - 1928 transport prototype * Nakajima P-1 - 1933 mail plane; converted from E4N

Jet prototypes

* - 1945 Navy experimental land-based ground attack/ASW jet, two prototypes built; first Japanese jet aircraft * Ki-201 - - 1945 Army jet fighter/attack aircraft with strong resemblance to the German

Messerschmitt Me 262 The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed ''Schwalbe'' (German: "Swallow") in fighter versions, or ''Sturmvogel'' (German: "Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, is a fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber that was designed and produced by the Germa ...

, project only Zeroi

Aircraft engines

* ; license-built Bristol Jupiter * Ha5 * * - powered both the

Mitsubishi A6M The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-based fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was ...

''Zero'', and its own

Nakajima Ki-43 The Nakajima Ki-43 ''Hayabusa'' (, "Peregrine falcon", "Army Type 1 Fighter" ) is a single-engine land-based tactical fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service in World War II. The Allied reporting name was "Oscar", but it was o ...

''Oscar'' fighters. Known as Type 99 in Army service and NK1 in Navy service * * Ha-49 * * Ha-109 * Ha219 (later known as the Ha-44)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Francillon, René J. ''Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War''. London, Putnam & Company, 1970,1979. .

External links

The Nakajima Aircraft Story

WW2DB: Nakajima Aircraft of WW2
{{Authority control Defunct aircraft manufacturers of Japan Defunct aircraft engine manufacturers of Japan Zaibatsu Manufacturing companies established in 1918 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1945 1945 disestablishments in Japan Subaru Japanese companies established in 1918

History

After World War II

Products

Company designations

Naval aircraft

Fighter

Trainer

Torpedo bomber

Scout and reconnaissance aircraft

Dive bomber

Heavy bomber

Transport

Army aircraft

Fighter

Bomber

Reconnaissance

Transport

Trainer

Kamikaze aircraft

Civil aircraft

Jet prototypes

Aircraft engines

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links