HISTORY
The company was established in 1898 in Nagoya
as Aichi Tokei Denki Seizo Co., Ltd.
(Aichi Watch and Electric Manufacturing
Company). Aircraft production started in 1920,
and the company relied initially on technical
assistance from Heinkel, which influenced some
of their designs. Later, with the prodding and
support of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the
company started making seaplanes using
technology imported from Short Brothers in the
UK.
During the inter-war period, Aichi was the
beneficiary of technology transferred from
Heinkel, Germany. At the time, a team from the
League of Nations occasionally visited German
aircraft manufacturers to monitor the ban on
military aircraft research and production. A
Japanese military attache who was a member of
the monitoring team, let Heinkel know,
confidentially and in advance, of the planned
visits. Heinkel thus succeeded in continuing its
design on the aircraft ordered by Aichi Aircraft
without being spotted.
In 1943 the aircraft division was spun off as
Aichi Kokuki Co., Ltd. (Aichi Aircraft
Company). After the war, the company was
dissolved. Its current descendant, Aichi Machine
Industry Co., Ltd., manufactures automotive
parts and light trucks for Nissan.
Source:
Wikipedia
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