Olympus Corporation
Olympus Corporation (Japanese: オリンパス株式会社, Hepburn: Orinpasu Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese manufacturer of optics and reprography products. Olympus was established on 12 October 1919, initially specializing in microscopes and thermometers.[4] Olympus holds roughly a 70 percent share of the global endoscope market, estimated to be worth approximately US$2.5 billion. Its global headquarters are located in Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan.
Native name
オリンパス株式会社
Orinpasu Kabushiki-kaisha
12 October 1919 (as Takachiho Seisakusho)
Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Takeshi Yamashita[1]
Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
Worldwide
- Precision machinery and instruments
- Cameras
- Voice recorders
- Endoscopes and other medical devices
- Face cream
- Plastic tableware
¥847,105 million (y/e March 2011)[2]
31,557 (31 March 2022)[2]
In 2011, Olympus attracted worldwide media scrutiny when it fired its CEO Michael Christopher Woodford for whistleblowing, and the matter snowballed into a corporate corruption investigation[5] with multiple arrests.[6] In 2016, it paid US$646 million (equivalent to $804 million in 2023) in fines associated with its illegal, long running, kickback scheme.[7]
Products[edit]
Cameras and audio[edit]
In 1936, Olympus introduced its first camera, the Semi-Olympus I, fitted with the first Zuiko-branded lens.[8] The Olympus Chrome Six was a series of folding cameras made by Takachiho, and later Olympus, from 1948 to 1956, for 6×4.5 cm or 6×6 cm exposures on 120 film.[9]
The first innovative camera series from Olympus was the Pen, launched in 1959.[10] It used a half-frame format, taking 72 18×24 mm photographs on a standard 36-exposure 35mm film cassette,[11] which made Pen cameras compact and portable for their time.
2016 bribery scandal[edit]
Main article: Olympus scandal On 1 March 2016, Olympus agreed to pay $646 million of fines to US authorities.[7]