| 1996 |
- US sales company SEC builds new Los Angeles office
- Announces construction of Fukuyama No. 4 Plant to produce flash memory
- Establishes Nanjing Sharp Electronics Co., Ltd. (NSEC), a joint manufacturing and sales company in China
- Announces construction of new plant at SSEC in Shanghai
- Develops Sharp Addressing LCD drive technology, which allows high-quality image display on STN LCDs
- Develops Super-V LCD, which gives super-wide viewing angles, high brightness, high contrast and lower power consumption
- Establishes Website on the Internet
(http://www.sharp.co.jp/ : Japanese)
(http://www.sharp-world.com/ : English)
- Markets MI-10/10DC Color Zaurus PDA equipped with 65,000-color TFT LCD
- Sharp and Sony Corporation agree on joint development of large-screen flat display panels using PALC technology
- Develops world's largest 40-inch (1 m diagonal) TFT LCD
- Achieves worldwide production of 50 million microwave ovens
- SMM (Malaysia) achieves production of 10 million VCRs
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- Atlanta Olympics (July)
- Pitcher Hideo Nomo pitches a no-hitter during his second year in US Major League (September 17)
- US President Clinton reelected
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| 1997 |
- Markets MD-PS1, the world's first MD Data camera
- Announces construction of TFT LCD No. 2 Plant in Taki, Mie Prefecture (plant starts operations in October 1998)
- Establishes Shanghai Sharp Mold and Manufacturing Systems Co., Ltd. (SSMC), a joint manufacturing company in China
- Develops HC (high contrast) Addressing LCD, an STN LCD capable of high contrast, high-speed response and video display
- Announces construction of world's largest solar cell plant in Shinjo (Katsuragi), Nara Prefecture (plant starts operations in April 1998)
- Markets MI-504/506/506DC, the world's smallest color PDA
- SUKM achieves production of 5 million VCRs
- Announces mass production of HR-TFT (Super Mobile) LCDs, reflective LCDs that are thinner, lighter and use less power compared to conventional transmissive LCDS
- Establishes Environmental Protection Group
- Develops 42-inch PALC display, a joint effort with Sony and Philips Electronics N.V.
- Announces establishment of Sharp Electronica Mexico S.A. de C.V. (SEMEX) as manufacturing base for color TVs and home appliances in Mexico (production begins in November 1998)
- Announces establishment of Sharp Middle East Free Zone Establishment (SMEF) as sales base in the UAE
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- Hostage crisis at Japanese embassy in Peru
- Former UK Princess Diana dies in car accident in Paris (August 31)
- Hong Kong returned to China, bringing end to 158 years of British rule (July 1)
- Collapse of Thai baht starts currency crisis, stock collapse and economic recession throughout Asia
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