History
| 1927 | Koichi Kawai established the Kawai Musical Instrument Research Laboratory. |
|---|---|
| 1928 | First Kawai grand piano. |
| 1929 | Company name changed to Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Company. |
| 1930 | Manufacture of reed organs begins. |
| 1934 | Manufacturing of harmonicas begins. |
| 1935 | Corporate structure expanded to partnership basis. Production capacity: 75 upright pianos and 10 grand pianos per month. |
| 1937 | Japan enters the Second World War. Company required to shift to the production of military supplies: aircraft parts and gliders. |
| 1946 | Manufacture of furniture, radio cabinets and accordions began for occupation forces. |
| 1948 | Manufacture of pianos and organs resumed. |
| 1951 | Company reorganised into a joint-stock company with a capital of 3,500,000 yen. |
| 1953 | Koichi Kawai awarded the Blue ribbon Medal, first person in the industry to receive it. |
| 1955 | Shigeru Kawai appointed president after his father’s death. Initial steps taken toward modernization. |
| 1956 | Kawai music education program established. |
| 1957 | New lumber mill facility established in Arai town. |
| 1959 | Expansion of domestic sales and service network through direct ownership of stores. |
| 1960 | Kawai electronic organs placed on sale. Capital increased to 100 million yen. |
| 1961 | Maisaka Factory completed as a main assembly plant. Kawai Piano Technicians School opened. Capital increased 2,400 million yen. |
| 1962 | Capital increased 3,600 million yen. |
| 1963 | ‘Kawai Piano Loan’ system established. Kawai Music Foundation established. Kawai America Corporation established in Los Angeles, U.S.A. |
| 1965 | Kawai Service Centre Co., Ltd. established. |
| 1966 | Kawai College of Music, a teacher training institution, established. Teisco, a company specializing in electronic music, joined Kawai organization. |
| 1967 | Physical training program, Kawai’s Gymnastic School established. |
| 1969 | Kawai sporting goods placed on market. |
| 1971 | Kawai Concerts held in several cities in Japan and are now annual events. |
| 1972 | Kawai furniture placed on market. |
| 1973 | Piano production rose above 5,000 units per Month. |
| 1974 | Kawai Publishing (musical score publishing and sales) established. Representative office opened in Dusserdorf, West Germany, to improve sales distribution to the European Market. |
| 1975 | Kawai toys placed on market. Kawai Canada Music established in Winnipeg, Canada. |
| 1976 | Deformed metal production begins. Kawai Deutschland GmbH established in Haan, West Germany. |
| 1977 | Aoyama store (Tokyo) established. Kawai Celebrated 50th anniversary. |
| 1978 | Total units of piano production reached one million. |
| 1979 | Kawai Europa GmbH established. |
| 1980 | Grand Piano Factory & Piano Research Laboratory established in Ryuyo Japan. |
| 1981 | Kawai Concert Grand Piano "EX" completed. Kawai Australia Pty. Ltd. Established in Sydney, Australia. |
| 1982 | Kawai entered software and computer sales business. Kawai Concert expanded, held in 80 cities all around Japan. |
| 1983 | Kawai representative office opened in Singapore. |
| 1984 | Kawai Business Software Co., Ltd. established. Total units of piano production reached 1,500,000. Kawai (Muziekinstrumenten) Nederland B.V. established in Naarden, Holland. |
| 1985 | Shigeru Kawai awarded the Blue Ribbon medal. Kawai Grand Piano "EX" chosen as an official piano for 11th Chopin Competition in Warsaw. |
| 1986 | Kawai digital pianos completed. Kawai U.K Ltd. established in Bournemouth, U.K. K3 Synthesizer & R100 Drum Machine introduced and enjoy vigorous sales. |
| 1988 | Kawai Purchased Lowrey, American organ company. Piano Assembly plant (Kawai America Manufacturing Inc.) opens in Lincolnton, U.S.A. K1 Synthesizer and Q-80 Sequenser introduced and achieved great success. |
| 1989 | Kawai Techno Center Co., Ltd. (later merged into Kawai Business Software Co., Ltd.) and Kawai Sound System Inc. established. Kawai Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. established. Hirotaka Kawai, Shigeru’s son, appointed president and Shigeru Kawai was promoted to chairman. |
| 1990 | KCP Co.,Ltd. and Kawai Wood Co., Ltd. established. Total units of piano production reached two million. |
| 1991 | Kawai Asia Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd. established. |
| 1992 | Kawai Cosmos Co., Ltd. established. |
| 1993 | Kawai Music Planning Co., Ltd. established. |
| 1994 | Kawai Precision Metals Co., Ltd. production facility established. Shigeru Kawai awarded the ‘Blue Ribbon Medal’ from the Emperor of Japan. |
| 1995 | Grier city (US) painting company acquired, renamed Kawai Finishing lnc., and begins production. Partnership with Honoris Industry established, production of musical instruments begins in Indonesia. Partnership with Beijing Xinghai Musical Instruments Co., Ltd. established, production of musical instruments begins in China. |
| 1997 | Ryuyo Grand Piano Facility receives ISO14001 certification for environmental management. |
| 1998 | Maisaka Upright Piano Facility receives ISO14001 certification for environmental management. Piano Recycling Co., Ltd. established. Kawai Hyper Wood Co., Ltd. established. |
| 1999 | Märchen digital piano facility awarded ISO 14001 certification, complementing achievements of Ryuyo and Maisaka facilities. Shigeru Kawai series of luxury grand piano instruments launched. |
| 2001 | Karawan piano facility established in Indonesia. |
| 2002 | Kawai Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. established in Shanghai, China. |
| 2004 | Capital increased 4,600 million yen. Kawai Musical Instruments (Ningbo) Co., Ltd. established. |
| 2005 | ‘Repre’ music school opened in Shinjuku, specialising in musical education for adult students. Ryuyo Grand Piano Facility receives ISO9001 certification for standards of quality. |
| 2006 | New range of ‘K’ series upright pianos launched. Capital increased 6,600 million yen. Expansion of primary factory and acquisition of additional secondary factory at PT Kawai Indonesia. |
| 2007 | Kawai celebrates ’80 Years of Advancement’. PT. Kawai Indonesia No.3 digital piano facility established, production of digital pianos begins. First Kawai Music School established in Shanghai. |
| 2008 | New, improved ‘RX-H’ series of grand pianos launched. |
| 2009 | Maisaka upright piano finishing facility moved to Ryuyo facility. |
| 2010 | Company president, Hirotaka Kawai, awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. |
| 2011 | PT Kawai Indonesia subsidiary company established in Banten province, Tangerang, Indonesia. PT Kawai Indonesia No.1 & No.2 manufacturing facilities receive ISO14001 certification for environmental management. |
| 2012 | Shigeru Kawai series of luxury grand piano instruments receive first major update. Shanghai Kawai EMI (SKE) digital piano manufacturing facility established in Shanghai, China. Shanghai Kawai EMI (SKE) digital piano manufacturing facility receives ISO14001 certification for environmental management. Kawai Casting iron casting facility established in Hakui city, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan. |
| 2013 | PT Kawai Music School Indonesia subsidiary company established in Banten province, Tangerang, Indonesia. |
| 2014 | Kawai Piano (Russia) LLC subsidiary company established in Moscow, Russia. Acquisition of Zen-On music publishing as subsidiary company. |