1979-1988 Taking on the Future

In the 1980's, the service sector began to play a more important role as the focus of the Japanese economy shifted from heavy industry to lighter, more compact products.
Fast food and convenience stores became part of the familiar landscape, and products like personal computers, CD players, and video decks became an integral part of people's lives.
We focused our efforts on our multimedia business, starting with CD-ROM versions of "Dictionary of Science and Technology" and "Kojien" (the authoritative dictionary of the Japanese language), which we produced by applying printing technologies that we had already cultivated to the fields of information processing and product processing. During this period we also strengthened our product development functions by establishing a separate laboratory for each business field, and brought to market such new products as smart cards, thermal transfer printing media, rear projection television screens, and color filters for liquid crystal displays.
Following the Plaza Accord, an international agreement that depreciated the US dollar relative to major currencies including the yen, the Japanese economy began an unprecedented boom. In the fiscal year ended March 1989, DNP's consolidated sales exceeded 1 trillion yen for the first time.

  • Carrier tapes for transporting precision electronic components
  • Re-writeable smart card
  • Thermal transfer ink ribbons used in word processors and facsimile machines
  • CD-ROM version of the Trilingual Dictionary of Science and Engineering
  • Ginza Graphic Gallery (ggg)
1979December 15
Yoshitoshi Kitajima became president and Orie Kitajima became chairman of DNP
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Second oil crisis
1980December
Developed aseptic filling system for "Bag in Box (BIB)" containers
1981March
Developed "MD-1" specialized containers for Meiji Dairies Corporation's Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt
1982-
Developed carrier tape for transporting precision electronic components; entered the industrial supplies business
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Began producing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles
1983April 15
Opening of Tokyo Disneyland
May
Developed thermal injection technology for decorating molded plastic products
September 6
Opened Kuki Plant in Saitama Pref.
November 15
Developed re-writable smart cards (smart card prototype)
November
Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. began selling the world's first plain-paper facsimile machine
DNP developed fused thermal transfer ink ribbons
December 6
Iwanami Shoten, Publishers released the third edition of "Kojien," produced using a computerized typesetting system (CTS) for both text and illustrations
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Began producing rear-projection television screens
1984November 15
Developed technology for mass-producing rainbow holograms using transfer printing
December 1
Opened micro-products plant in Kisshoin, Kyoto
1985March 17
The International Exposition, Tsukuba, Japan, 1985 (Expo '85) held in Ibaraki Pref.
June 19
Developed large-capacity optical cards amenable to mass production
July 11
Completed construction of our Central Research Institute's Kashiwa Laboratory
November
Produced Japan’s first CD-ROM dictionary: Dictionary of Science and Technology (Sanshusha Publishing Co., Ltd.)
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Developed dye sublimation thermal transfer ribbon technology and began production
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Developed technology for producing color filters used in liquid crystal displays
1986March 4
Opened Ginza Graphic Gallery (ggg)(Open in a new window)
April 1
Equal employment opportunity act for men and women took effect in Japan
April 18
Developed material for use in prosthetic joints, which was selected by Japan Science and Technology Agency as a notable invention
1987March 13
Developed urine testing paper using printing technology
April 1
Japan National Railways divided and privatized
June 10
Established technology for direct printing of high-definition images