Established 1899, but first built airplanes in 1920 and
aero engines in 1927. From 1920s essentially a supplier
to the Japanese Navy, but built civil types also, including
a mail plane for the Japan Air Transport Company. Had
technical agreement with Heinkel in Germany and imported
specimen aircraft, which
E13A
it developed for Japanese Navy
requirements. Resulting aircraft (DIAtype of 1934) sank
US gunboat Panay in 1937. Later D3A monoplane was
perhaps the most famous of the company's types, duplicating
German interest in dive-bombers. Code-named
"Val" by the Allies, this type attacked Pearl Harbor December
7,1941, and was also successful against British warships
in the Indian Ocean. H9A1 twin-engined flying-boat
was built in numbers; also notably E16A reconnaissance
floatplane; B7A attack bomber; and the M6A catapultlaunched
submarine-borne bomber, intended to attack
such targets as the lock gates of the Panama Canal.
