History of our corporate logo | History | About | MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC Global website

The year 2001 marked the 80th year since the founding of Mitsubishi Electric. It is also the year that we adopted “Changes for the Better” as our corporate statement. This statement expresses our commitment to ongoing improvement with the aim of continuously creating better products.
The story below outlines how the Mitsubishi logo first came about, and how it and the corporate slogan have evolved into what is used today.

Origin of the Mitsubishi Logo

In the 1870s, the shipping company Tsukumo Shokai, which was the precursor of Mitsubishi, used a triangular water chestnut icon on its ships’ flags, and it is from this icon that the current three-diamond Mitsubishi icon originated. It is derived from the three-layer chestnut family crest of Yataro Iwasaki, founder of Tsukumo Shokai, and the three-leaved oak family crest of the Yamanouchi family, from the Tosa Clan. Records suggest that the Mitsubishi company name was settled on later.

1921

Mitsubishi Electric is established when Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. (now Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd) spins off a factory in Kobe to manufacture electric motors.

1955

The official company name and typeface are decided. The font is called Mitarashi-ryu and is used until 1963.

1964

The corporate slogan which translates as “with you today and tomorrow” is adopted (in Japan only) with the aim of building a familiar corporate image among consumers.

1968

A new corporate slogan, “ADVANCED AND EVER ADVANCING” is announced. In the words of President Okubo, Mitsubishi Electric CEO at the time, “we devised the slogan to cement our position in future industry through our technical expertise, and to establish a corporate posture of cultivating and nurturing management skills, so that a new corporate image would permeate the company both internally and externally.”

1985

A Corporate Identity campaign is executed with the aim of boosting corporate image. The “Blue MITSUBISHI” corporate brand logo is devised for use in Japan to provide some sense of individualism within the Mitsubishi Group. Overseas, a logo is created that teams the familiar red three-diamonds symbol with a simple “MITSUBISHI.” A new corporate slogan that translates roughly as “SOCIO-TECH: enhancing lifestyles through technology” is adopted in Japan. The overseas slogan is left unchanged.

2001

On the occasion of Mitsubishi Electric’s 80th anniversary, the corporate philosophy is re-evaluated and the slogan revised to “Changes for the Better” as a consistent message both in Japan and overseas. The “Blue MITSUBISHI” logo continues to be used in Japan, while “MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC” is used overseas to provide distinctiveness within the Mitsubishi Group.

2014

Mitsubishi Electric companies within Japan begin using the red three-diamond corporate logo that had previously been used only overseas. The strengthening of business competitiveness on a global scale is further promoted in order to ensure sustainable growth.