Microsoft Japan
 | |
| Microsoft Japan | |
| Type | Subsidiary of Microsoft |
| Founded | 1979 (ASCII Japan) 1986 (Microsoft Japan) |
| Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan |
| Key people | Kazuhiko Nishi, founder (ASCII Microsoft) Bill Gates, founder (Microsoft Japan) |
| Industry | Computer software, video games |
| Products | Computer software, video games |
| Employees | not disclosed |
| Website | http://www.microsoft.com/ja-jp/ |
Microsoft Japan Co., Limited (日本マイクロソフト株式会社, Nihon Microsoft Kabushiki Kaisha) is the Japanese branch of Microsoft.
ASCII Microsoft
In 1979, Kazuhiko Nishi, the co-founder of ASCII, founded ASCII Microsoft to distribute Microsoft products in Japan.
MSX
The MSX computer standard was announced on June 16, 1983 by Microsoft Japan, as an attempt to create unified standards among computer manufacturers of the time. Many Japanese companies, such as Sony, Yamaha, Canon, and Sharp, released computers that adhered to the MSX standard. Despite Microsoft's involvement, MSX computers were mainly sold in Japan and Europe, with few manufacturers releasing MSX computers in North America.
In 1984, ASCII Microsoft was merged into ASCII.
Microsoft Japan
In 1986, Bill Gates founded Microsoft Japan. From this point, Microsoft Japan distributed Microsoft's products in Japan directly, while ASCII retained the rights to MSX.
