Akai

Akai (Japanese: 赤井, pronounced [a̠ka̠i]) was a Japanese electronics manufacturer, established as Akai Electric Company Ltd in Tokyo in 1929. It was best known outside Japan for its tape recorders during the 1960s and 1970s. The company became bankrupt in 2000 and since then third-party products have been marketed under the Akai brand name, which has since been owned by Grande Holdings of Hong Kong. In its earlier history, Akai had made many innovations in the development of magnetic tape-based audio technology. Around 1980, the music division Akai Professional was founded, offering production and stage equipment for modern music. After the controversial collapse of the business in 2000, the Akai brand came under the ownership of Hong Kong based Grande Holdings. The company now distributes a range of electronic products, including LED TVs, washing machines, clothes dryers, air conditioners, and smartphones. These products are developed through collaborations with other electronics companies with relevant expertise. The Akai Professional electronic instrument division had already been spun off as a separate business in 1999 and today operates under the unrelated ownership of inMusic Brands.