Hermann Kessler, undated

Siemens opened its first office in Japan on August 1, 1887, at Tsukuji in Tokyo with Hermann Kessler as the first representative. Under Mr. Kessler’s leadership, the company lent a hand in Japan’s push to become part of the industrialized world by setting up Japan’s first hydro-electric power facility at Watarase River or supplying power generators to the Ashio copper mine and the entire railroad equipment for Enoshima Electric Railway.

 

Employees of Siemens Schuckert Denki KK on the occasion of the office’s reopening, 1919

In 1912, Mr. Rokurota Momotani joined Siemens Schuckert Denki K.K. Mr. Momotani made significant contributions to the advancement of the Japanese business and was therefore honored in 1962 for his 50-year long service. World War I that started in 1914 left a deep scar in Siemens’ business in Japan, but the company strengthened its cooperation with the Furukawa Zaibatsu (conglomerate) establishing Fuji Denki Seizo KK in 1923. Siemens continued to add to Japan’s industrialization through projects such as supplying equipment for electrical transmission of photographs to The Asahi Shimbun Company and Japan’s first automatic document copier to the Ueno Imperial Library.

 

Nobuo Kodera, undated

After World War II, the company suffered heavily from losing all its overseas assets including the ones in Japan. Nonetheless, in 1947, Mr. Nobuo Kodera who would later go on to become the first president of Taihei Yoko (the Siemens agency in Japan) invested his own funds and started to rebuild the business. Subsequently and to a considerable extend also supported by the rapid economic recovery of Japan, Mr. Kodera got the company back on track and became an important presence offering cutting-edge products and technologies in the fields of power generation, automation equipment, medical equipment, as well as telecommunications. In 1970, Nippon Siemens KK was established and spurred the business on further. In 1983, the Japanese government conferred the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure on Dr. Bernhard Plettner, the chairman of the supervisory board of Siemens AG, for the company’s pioneering contributions in Japan over a long period of time.

 

Magnetom H15 MRI system for the hospital at the University of Tokyo, 1985

After 1980, Siemens AG began strengthening its business portfolio through merger & acquisition as well as divestments focusing on current sectors’ businesses. This also led to big changes in Japan where Siemens has always been actively pursuing local partnerships for continued growth. Examples are: joint ventures with Asahi Kasei Corporation (resulting in the former Siemens Asahi Medical Technologies, Ltd.), YASKAWA Electric Corporation (YSAD and former YSNC), Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (MSMS), Kameda Healthinformatics Institute Inc. (SKIT), and becoming a major shareholder of Acrorad Co., Ltd. As of 2012, Siemens in Japan is employing about 2,200 people and operating across the four sectors of Healthcare, Industry, Energy, and Infrastructure & Cities.