World War II left Japan in ruins, but it still had plenty of talented scientists and engineers. One of these was Masaru Ibuka, who had worked in the research division of the Japanese Navy during the war. There, he met fellow scientist Akio Morita, who came from a wealthy family. In 1946 the duo set up the Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation, operating out of a department store.
A lack of resources and the need to generate cash flow meant it initially focused on basic consumer products, such as a heated cushion, sold under a fictitious name to protect the new firm from complaints. But the firm would quickly switch to more sophisticated products, selling the first Japanese tape recorder, the G-Type, in 1950.
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