Canon vs NEC: Founders, CEOs and History
Canon was founded in 1937 by Takeshi Mitarai, Goro Yoshida, Saburo Uchida and is led by Fujio Mitarai. NEC was founded in 1899 by Kunihiko Iwadare and is led by Takayuki Morita.
Company facts
Founders
Canon
Takeshi Mitarai
Takeshi Mitarai supported the camera laboratory that Goro Yoshida, Saburo Uchida and Takeo Maeda opened in 1933, and became president of its successor, Precision Optical Industry, Co., Ltd., in 1942.
Goro Yoshida
Yoshida took apart a Leica Model II and, as he later recalled, was angered to find it was built from brass, aluminium, iron and rubber yet sold for 420 yen.
Saburo Uchida
Saburo Uchida (1899-1982) co-founded the Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory with Goro Yoshida, his brother-in-law, and Takeo Maeda in November 1933.
Takeo Maeda
Takeo Maeda (1909-1977) was the youngest of the founding group. A former subordinate of Saburo Uchida, he joined Uchida and Goro Yoshida in opening the Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory in Roppongi in November 1933 and worked on the Kwanon prototype and…
NEC
Kunihiko Iwadare
Kunihiko Iwadare founded NEC (Nippon Electric Company) in 1899. After working for Thomas Edison in New York, he returned to Japan and formed a highly strategic joint venture with Western Electric, creating Japan's very first joint venture with foreign capital.…
CEOs and their tenures
Canon
- Takeshi Mitarai1942–1974
President
An obstetrician who backed the 1933 camera laboratory, he became president of Precision Optical Industry in 1942 and led the company as it became Canon Camera Co. in 1947, listed in Tokyo in 1949 and opened sales offices in New York and Geneva in the 1950s.
Source - Ryuzaburo Kaku1977–1989
President, later Chairman
As President, he aggressively challenged Xerox's monopoly in the copier market by introducing affordable, personal laser printers and copiers.
Source - Fujio Mitarai1995–present
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Born in 1935 and a nephew of Takeshi Mitarai, he joined Canon in 1961, ran Canon U.S.A. as president from 1979 to 1989 and became president of Canon Inc. in 1995.
Source - Tsuneji Uchida2006–2012
President and Chief Operating Officer
During his tenure as President, he maintained strong profitability through strict cost-cutting measures despite the brutal collapse of the digital compact camera market.
Source - Masaya Maeda2016–2020
President and Chief Operating Officer
He led the Image Communication Products group during the height of the DSLR era, cementing Canon's position as the global market leader in interchangeable lens cameras.
Source - Kazuto Ogawa2026–present
President and Chief Operating Officer
Joined Canon in 1981 and led Canon Singapore (2005), Canon Canada (2008) and Canon U.S.A. as President and COO (2018).
Source
NEC
- Koji Kobayashi1964–1988
Former CEO and Chairman
Kobayashi's C&C concept became closely associated with his name across the global electronics industry and guided NEC's investment into semiconductors and mainframe computing, helping make NEC one of the world's largest chipmakers and computer manufacturers du…
Source - Nobuhiro Endo2010–2016
President
He refocused NEC on infrastructure for business and government. Takashi Niino succeeded him in 2016.
Source - Takayuki Morita2021–present
President and Chief Executive Officer
His tenure has focused on repositioning NEC away from its historical dependence on domestic telecom-equipment and PC hardware sales toward recurring software, cybersecurity, and biometric-identification revenue, an area where NEC has long-standing technology b…
Source
Timeline: Canon and NEC side by side
1899NEC
Nippon Electric Company Founded
Kunihiko Iwadare, the Japanese sales agent for Western Electric, and W.T. Carleton, head of Western Electric's Tokyo branch, establish NEC on July 17, 1899, making it one of the first Japanese companies built on direct ties to an American electrical manufactur…
1933Canon
Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory opens
Goro Yoshida, Saburo Uchida and Takeo Maeda open a camera laboratory in a Roppongi apartment in Tokyo to build a Japanese 35mm camera that could rival the Leica.
1934Canon
Kwanon prototype
Yoshida builds the Kwanon, Japan's first 35mm focal-plane-shutter camera prototype, named after the Buddhist goddess of mercy. It never goes on sale.
1936Canon
Hansa Canon goes on sale
The lab's first commercial camera, the Hansa Canon, uses a Nikkor lens and rangefinder supplied by Nippon Kogaku, the predecessor of Nikon. The 'Canon' trademark had been filed in 1935.
1937Canon
Precision Optical Industry incorporated
The business is incorporated on August 10, 1937 as Precision Optical Industry, Co., Ltd. Takeshi Mitarai becomes president in 1942.
1949Canon
Tokyo Stock Exchange listing
Canon Camera Co. (renamed in 1947) lists on the Tokyo Stock Exchange when postwar trading resumes, and opens a New York branch in 1955.
1958NEC
Computer Expansion
NEC expands from communications equipment into computers and enterprise technology.
1964Canon
Canola 130 calculator
Canon moves beyond cameras with the Canola 130 desktop electronic calculator, followed in 1970 by Japan's first plain-paper copier, the NP-1100, and its first semiconductor lithography tool, the PPC-1.
1969Canon
Renamed Canon Inc.
Canon Camera Co. changes its name to Canon Inc. to reflect a product range that now spans business machines as well as cameras.
1982NEC
C&C Strategy
NEC promotes the integration of computers and communications as a strategic identity.
1987Canon
EOS system launches
Canon launches the EOS 650 and the all-electronic EF lens mount, the base of its autofocus SLR and later digital SLR lines.
1994NEC
Acquired Packard Bell
NEC acquired Packard Bell. NEC acquired Packard Bell in 1994.
1995Canon
Fujio Mitarai becomes president
Fujio Mitarai takes over as president, exits personal computers and other loss-making lines, and in 1996 starts the Excellent Global Corporation Plan.
2002NEC
NEC Electronics Spun Off
NEC spun off its semiconductor business as NEC Electronics in 2002.
2003Canon
Start of No. 1 camera share run
Canon takes the No. 1 share of the global interchangeable-lens digital camera market, a position it has held every year through 2025.
2010NEC
Renesas Electronics Formed
NEC Electronics merged with Renesas Technology in April 2010 to form Renesas Electronics.
2011NEC
PC Joint Venture with Lenovo
NEC restructures its PC business through a joint venture with Lenovo.
2016Canon
Toshiba Medical acquisition
Canon completes the ¥665.5 billion (about $5.9 billion) purchase of Toshiba Medical Systems in December 2016, later renamed Canon Medical Systems.
2018Canon
EOS R mirrorless system
Canon launches the full-frame EOS R mirrorless system and RF lens mount.
2018NEC
Acquired Northgate Public Services
NEC acquired Northgate Public Services for $645 million. NEC acquired UK-based Northgate Public Services from private-equity owner Cinven for about 475 million (roughly $645 million) to expand its digital-government software business into the British public se…
2020NEC
Avaloq Acquired
NEC bought the Swiss banking-software company Avaloq in December 2020.
2021NEC
Takayuki Morita Becomes President and CEO
Takayuki Morita, previously CFO, becomes NEC president and CEO on April 1, 2021.
2023Canon
Nanoimprint lithography launch
Canon releases the FPA-1200NZ2C nanoimprint lithography system in October 2023, able to pattern 14 nm lines, and delists its ADRs from the New York Stock Exchange in March.
2024Canon
First NIL shipment and medical impairment
Canon ships its first nanoimprint system to the Texas Institute for Electronics on September 26, 2024, and books a ~$1.11 billion (¥165.1 billion) goodwill impairment on its medical business for the year.
2024NEC
BluStellar Strategy Launched
NEC introduces BluStellar, a value-creation model applying AI -- including a partnership integrating Anthropic's Claude -- across its IT Services and Social Infrastructure businesses.
2025Canon
Record net sales of ~$31 billion (¥4,624.7 billion)
Canon reports record 2025 net sales of ~$31 billion (¥4,624.7 billion) and net income attributable to Canon Inc. of ~$2.23 billion (¥332.1 billion).
2026Canon
Phase VII plan and new president
Canon unveils its 2026-2030 Phase VII plan, merges Canon Medical's operations into Canon Inc. on April 1, and appoints Kazuto Ogawa President and COO on March 27 while Fujio Mitarai stays Chairman and CEO.
2026NEC
FY26/3 Revenue Reaches ~$24 billion (3.5827 Trillion Yen)
NEC reports higher revenue and record profit margins, with IT Services and Social Infrastructure as the key businesses.
Acquisitions
Canon
- Canon Electronics (minority shares)2026Undisclosed
- Redlen Technologies2021$335M
- BriefCam2018Undisclosed
- Kite2017Undisclosed
- Toshiba Medical Systems2016$5.9B
- Axis Communications2015$2.8B
Questions about Canon vs NEC
Who is the CEO of Canon Inc. and NEC Corporation?
Canon Inc. is led by Fujio Mitarai and NEC Corporation is led by Takayuki Morita. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Canon Inc. founded vs NEC Corporation?
NEC Corporation was founded in 1899 — 38 years before Canon Inc., which was founded in 1937. NEC Corporation's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Canon Inc..
How many employees does Canon Inc. have compared to NEC Corporation?
Canon Inc. employs approximately 165,547 people, while NEC Corporation employs approximately 101,800. Canon Inc. has the larger workforce at 165,547 employees, compared to NEC Corporation's 101,800. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Canon Inc. and NEC Corporation headquartered?
Both Canon Inc. and NEC Corporation are headquartered in Japan, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Canon Inc. and NEC Corporation?
Canon Inc. was founded by Takeshi Mitarai, Goro Yoshida, Saburo Uchida, Takeo Maeda. NEC Corporation was founded by Kunihiko Iwadare.
Which company has a longer operating history — Canon Inc. or NEC Corporation?
NEC Corporation has been operating for approximately 127 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Canon Inc. has been in operation for around 89 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Canon vs NEC overview