
1874 - 1939
- 1874
- Kibataro Oki enters Telegraph Bureau's School of Technology
- 1877
- Kibataro Oki promoted to advanced technical apprentice 9th class
- Kibataro Oki weds Take Kano
- 1881
- Kibataro Oki establishes Meikosha, Ltd., in Shinsakanacho in the Kyobashi section of Tokyo
- "Microsound" device (Edison-type telephone) receives second-place award in category at Second National Industrial Exhibition
- 1882
- Delivers portable printers based on German model to army
- 1885
- Displays lacquer-coated wire at International Exhibition of Inventions held in London and wins silver prize
- 1889
- Changes Meikosha's name to Oki Electric Works
- 1890
- Oki Electric Works opens temporary sales office in Osaka
- 1894
- Completes construction of new factory in Kyobashi section of Tokyo
- 1896
- Spins off sales department as Oki & Co.
- 1898
- Western Electric of U.S. requests business ties with Oki & Co.; discussions end without agreement
- 1899
- Produces Delville telephones and solid-back receivers
- 1906
- Kibataro Oki passes away at age of 58
- 1907
- Reorganizes as Oki & Co., Ltd.
- 1910
- Relocates Head Office and sales department to Tamachi Plant
- 1912
- Establishes Oki Electric Co., Ltd.; Soichiro Asano elected chairman
- 1914
- 1916
- Receives order from Russia for portable telephones and electric wire
- Produces prototype vacuum tube
- 1917
- Merger of Oki & Co. and Oki Electric
- 1918
- Installs common-battery switchboard at Takanawa branch office in Tokyo
- 1919
- Completes construction of Osaki Plant
- 1920
- Builds plant in Dainin, outside Osaka
- 1923
- Great Kanto Earthquake hits Tokyo-Yokohama area
- 1924
- Test production of radio receivers
- 1925
- Appoints Kakichi Uchida, former vice minister of Ministry of Communications, as adviser
- 1926
- Enters into technical ties with GEC (U.K.) for step-by-step automatic exchanges
- 1927
- Completes first-stage construction of Shibaura Plant
- 1930
- Delivers first in-house AEI-type automatic exchange to Nakano Telephone Office in Tokyo
- Soichiro Asano passes away
- 1931
- Soichiro Asano's son Soichiro appointed chairman
- 1932
- Biography of Kibataro Oki published to commemorate company's 50th Anniversary
- Develops Oki-type line finder switch
- 1934
- Publishes technical magazine Oki Technical Review
- Relocates Head Office to Tokio Marine & Fire Insurance Annex Building in Marunouchi section of Tokyo
- Begins producing Type-3 telephones
- 1936
- Establishes Oki Electric Cable Co., Ltd.
- 1937
- Second Sino-Japanese War begins
- 1938
- Government places Shibaura and Takahama (still under construction) plants under control of military
- 1939
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