The former Hitachi Denshi, Ltd. was created in 1973, with the merger of Shiba Electric Co., Ltd. and the original Hitachi Denshi, Ltd.

Hitachi Denshi served in the Hitachi Group as a general manufacturer of information-related systems, and provided dynamic and innovated integration of technologies from the fields of imaging, video, data communications, and measurement.

On October 1, 2000, Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc. was formed following the merger of the Kokusai Electric Co. Ltd., Hitachi Denshi, Ltd. and Yagi Antenna Co., Ltd.

The merger will consolidate the competitive advantages of the three predecessor companies for the purpose of developing globally competitive products and services for the rapidly evolving wireless communications market.

Hitachi Kokusai Electric is organized around three core businesses: semiconductor manufacturing systems, wireless communications & information systems, and broadcasting & video systems. The merger has enabled the new company to offer a full lineup of products and services spanning both transmission systems, including terrestrial digital broadcasting, and reception systems.

The Hitachi Group commits about $4 billion each year to research and development of new products and continues to receive the largest number of world patents per year based on the work of it's R&D architects.

With the convergence of broadband and broadcast technologies, Hitachi is positioning itself to be an active player within webcasting and streaming media, entering these business sectors through product development and through alliances with computer, engineering, and systems design companies.

Hitachi has been in existence for 80 years and has always continued to grow and diversify.