The Excellent Global Corporation Plan is initiated.
The Fuji-Susono Research Park opens in Susono, Japan.
Industrial Resource Technologies, Inc., a toner cartridge-recycling site, is established in Virginia, U.S.A.
Canon Latin America, Inc. moves to Miami, U.S.A.
Canon Virginia ships its 5,000th remanufactured copying machine.
1996
The ELPH (IXUS in other regions), a 2x zoom compact camera with the Advanced Photo System, is introduced.
ELPH / IXUS
Marketing commences for the FPA-3000EX3 stepper, which uses an excimer laser.
1997
Green Procurement standards, promoting the purchase of environmentally friendly components and materials, are issued.
Canon (China) Co., Ltd. is established.
A new building is opened in the Kosugi Office of Canon Inc. as a base for business solutions and information technology activities.
Tianjin Canon Co, Ltd, a copying machine manufacturing site, is established in the PRC
Camera production reaches 100 million units.
1997
Canon enters the digital video camcorder market with the OPTURA (MV1 in other regions).
1998
Canon forms the Management Reformation Committee.
Canon commences Group-wide production reform activities.
Copying machine remanufacturing commences in Japan. Canon thus maintains such operations in Europe, the U.S. and Japan.
Canon Software Development Center is established in New Delhi, India.
Canon Inc. acquires equity in Tokyo Denshi Sekei Inc. (today, Canon i-tech, Inc.)
Beijing PeCan Information System Co., Ltd. (today, Canon Information Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.), a joint venture with Peking University, is established to develop software.
Canon Middle East B.V. is established in the U.A.E.
1998
The DIGISUPER 25 xs broadcasting lens for high-definition television (HDTV) is introduced.
The EOS-3 SLR camera with a 45-point area AF is introduced for professionals and semiprofessionals.
Marketing begins for the CXDI-11 X-ray digital camera, with a large-area sensor.
1999
The Ayase Office opens with the goal of reinforcing the R&D structure for semiconductor-related devices.
Oita Canon Materials Inc. is established.
1999
Canon optical technologies are applied in the Subaru, one of the world's largest astronomical telescopes.
The BJC-8200 full-color inkjet printer is introduced, featuring a new printing head technology, New "MicroFine Droplet Technology."
The compact GT270 eyeglass display is introduced.
2000
Canon Inc. begins listing its American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
Canon holds Canon EXPO 2000 global technology and product exhibitions in New York, Paris and Tokyo.
Canon receives the Miles Supreme Award from the Society of Japanese Value Engineering.
The Optics R&D Center opens in Utsunomiya, Japan.
2000
Canon receives the prestigious Copier of the Future IEA-DSM Award of Excellence.
The PowerShot S100 DIGITAL ELPH (DIGITAL IXUS in other regions), a digital compact camera, is introduced.
PowerShot S100 DIGITAL ELPH / DIGITAL IXUS
The iR series new-generation network MFD is introduced, providing document collation and distribution functions.
The EOS D30 digital SLR camera is introduced, featuring a CMOS sensor.
2001
Phase II of the Excellent Global Corporation Plan is initiated.
Canon forms the Management Strategy Committee.
Canon Europe Ltd. is established in London to cooperate with Canon Europa N.V. in the Netherlands to reinforce regional operations.
Canon Vietnam Co., Ltd. is established in Hanoi as a production site for inkjet printers.
Three companies in the Canon Group establish a copying machine production site in Suzhou, PRC.
Canon Zhongshan Business Machines Co., Ltd., the Group's third laser printer production site in the PRC, is established.
2001
Canon develops the Multi-Layered Diffractive Optical Element technology.
Canon introduces the first "camera direct" products, which allow digital pictures to be printed using an inkjet printer directly from a camera.
The imageRUNNER 3300 (iR3300 in other regions), featuring environmentally conscious technologies, is introduced.
imageRUNNER iR3300
2002
Fujio Mitarai, Canon Inc. president and CEO, is one of the first executives to receive a Business Reformer Commendation from the Japanese government.
Canon Inc.'s new headquarters building opens in Shimomaruko, Tokyo.
Ueno Canon Materials, Inc. is established.
2002
The EOS-1Ds pro-model digital SLR camera, featuring Canon’s 11.1-megapixel full-frame 35 mm CMOS sensor, is introduced.
The LBP-2810/2710 color laser printer, featuring the newly developed Four-Color Vertical In-Line Engine, is introduced.
The Color imageRUNNER C3200 (iR C3200 in other regions), a color network MFD with a newly developed Color iR Controller, is introduced.
2003
Canon Aptex Inc. and Copyer Co., Ltd. merge to form Canon Finetech Inc.
Fukushima Canon Inc. is established as a base for high value-added mass production for the inkjet printer business.
Canon Technical Information Services Inc. is established.
Implementation of an eco-friendly product transport modal shift begins.
2003
The DIGISUPER 100 xs broadcasting lens, featuring the world's highest zoom lens range is introduced.
DIGISUPER 100 xs
The i70 (Bubble Jet i70 in other regions), an ultra-compact inkjet notebook printer, is introduced.
The W8200, a large format printer using pigmented ink, is introduced.
Canon begins shipping the 80-nanometer resolution ArF scanning stepper FPA-6000AS4.
The EOS DIGITAL REBEL (EOS 300D DIGITAL in other regions), a high-resolution compact digital SLR AF camera, is introduced.
EOS DIGITAL REBEL / EOS 300D DIGITAL
The PowerShot S400 DIGITAL ELPH (DIGITAL IXUS 400 in other regions), which incorporates the DIGIC imaging processor, is introduced.
The Color imageRUNNER C6800 (iR C6800 in other regions), a new color network MFD, which implements RoHS Directive in advance, is introduced.
2004
Canon changes the stock trading unit from 1,000 shares to 100 shares.
Canon holds its first briefing for individual investors.
The Yako Development Center is completed for the concentration of R&D sections of inkjet printers.
Canon Precision Inc. merges with Hirosaki Seiki, Inc.
Canon creates Canon Ecology Industry Inc. and Canon Semiconductor Equipment Inc. from Canon N.T.C., Inc.
Canon Ru LLC is established in Moscow, Russia.
Igari Mold Co., Ltd. becomes a wholly owned subsidiary through a share exchange.
Inkjet printer shipments reach 100 million units.
2004
The OPTURA500 (MVX35i in other regions) digital camcorder, which incorporates the DIGIC DV imaging processor that delivers high image quality for still photos and video, is introduced.
The PIXMA iP8500 inkjet printer featuring an all new design and the ChromaLife100 system is introduced.
PIXMA iP8500
The REALiS SX50 (XEED SX50 in other regions), a multi-media projector incorporating the newly developed AISYS optical system, is introduced.
2005
Canon holds Canon EXPO 2005, a showcase for Canon’s new products and future technologies, in New York, Paris, and Tokyo.
The Compliance Card is distributed to 110,000 Canon Group employees.
Construction of the leading-edge technology building at the Canon headquarters in Shimomaruko, is completed.
Canon concludes a cooperative research agreement with Tokyo Institute of Technology.
Canon and Microsoft Corporation of the U.S. agree to collaborate in the field of image processing technology.
The Canon Group obtains combined ISO14001 certification.
ANELVA Corporation and NEC Machinery Corporation are made consolidated subsidiaries.
2005
Canon receives the Imperial Award for Innovations for the invention of a large-screen sensor for real-time X-ray imaging systems.
The XL H1 high-definition video camcorder is introduced.