World War II Drives Demand for Radio Sets Following Japan's occupation of Manchuria, full-scale war with China broke out in 1937. The desire for news about the conflict drove up sales of radio sets in Japan, and in 1940 the number of listeners topped the five million mark. In 1941, when World War II spread to the Pacific, Hayakawa Metal Works was requisitioned by Army Aerial Headquarters to produce military communications equipment. As the conflict intensified, radio sets became essential. The company's production reached 150,000 units per year. Hayakawa Electric Industry Co., Ltd. In 1942, the company reverted to its original name of Hayakawa Electric Industry Co., Ltd. and opened a short-wave and ultra-short wave technical research laboratory for aerial radio equipment. In 1944, the company opened a new plant in Izumi-Fuchu, Osaka, and began mass production of aerial radio equipment and other related products.