A&A Trading Co. imported Japanese-made electronics forRadioShack. William "Bill" Kasuga, a bilingual Japanese-speaking manager at A&A, partnered withGeorge Aratani and Yoichi Nakase to establish a company as the exclusive importer of Trio products.[4]
The name "Kenwood" was invented by Kasuga as a combination of "Ken" (a name common to Japan and North America that was, at the time, considered acceptable to American consumers due to theKenmore appliance brand) and "Wood" (referring to the material, as well as suggesting a relation toHollywood, California).[4] Kenwood became more widely recognized than Trio, leading to the company's rebranding. In 1986, Trio acquired Kenwood and subsequently rebranded as the Kenwood Corporation.George Aratani was the first chairman of Kenwood USA Corporation and was later replaced by Kasuga.[3][5] In October 2008, Kenwood merged withJVC to form a new holding company,JVCKenwood.
KX880SR audio cassette tape deck/recorder
Kenwood introduced its Sovereign line of components in 2001. In 2007, it discontinued its line of consumer audio receivers, home theatre systems, and other home electronics.[6]
Kenwood produces a variety of audio speakers of different grades, ranging from stage sound tohigh-fidelity. The company introduced the first car stereo speaker to use a honeycombed linear planediaphragm.[7]
Kenwood launched a series of"Integrated Amplifier" stereo power amplifiers in 1977 and continued their production through the mid-1980s. The design for most of these products featured a true dual-mono path for stereo output (where no electrical components are shared between left- and right-channel amplification). Front plates were typically made in brushed aluminium with aluminium knobs and switches, glass covers, and in some cases analogVU meters.
Amplifiers in this series included (in no particular order):[8]
Kenwood has produced two-way radios for a variety of communications standards, including wirelessDECT intercom systems, the radio frequencyPMR446 and its digital counterpartDPMR446,DPMR, theProject 25 standards suite,DMR andNXDN. Their communications product range includes hand-portable and mobile terminals (including Intrinsically Safe,ATEX- andIECEx-certified hand-portable radios),repeaters, infrastructure, and application solutions.[9]
1949: High-frequency transformer passes theNHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) approval certificate for the first time in Japan.
1955: Established in Tokyo and begins mass production of audio, communications, and measuring equipment.
1958: The company's first amateur radio goes on sale.
1960: Renamed Trio Electronics, Inc.
1962: Launches the industry's first transistor amplifier.
1963: Sets up in the U.S. and begins full-scale overseas operations.
1966: Introduced fully transistorized audio products for the first time in the industry.
1969: The Trio Electronics (renamed to Kenwood in 1996)TR-7100, 144 MHz amateur radio car transceiver goes on sale.
1978: Introduced its first professional analogue two-way radios.
1979: Establishes the company's first overseas production unit inSingapore.
1983: Enters the U.S. land mobile radio market.
1986: Renamed Kenwood (formerly named Trio Electronics, Inc.).
1991: Enters the European licensed PMR (Private Mobile Radio) market. Begins selling license-free transceivers. Signs an official supply contract withMcLaren to provide wireless radio equipment for the F1 championship.
1995: TheMir space station carries Kenwood's amateur wireless equipment. TK-250 launched— Kenwood's first purpose-designedPMR range for Europe.
1996: Changes the subsidiary name from Trio-Kenwood to Kenwood, coinciding with the company's 50th anniversary.
1997: Becomes Japan's first manufacturer to launch car-mounted DAB receivers.
1999: Jointly develops the world's first mobile digital broadcast receiving system. Introduces Pro-Talk PMR446 license-free two-way radio.
2001: Kenwood releases its first digital transceiver operating onP25.
2005: Forms a technical and capital alliance withIcom to jointly research the standardization of technical specifications for digital wireless radio equipment (NXDN). Kenwood Nagano Corp. acquires certification to "ISO/TS 16949", the international standard for quality management specific to the automotive industry.
2007: Kenwood announces the 144/430 (440) MHzFM Dual banderTM-V71 series. Announcement of completion of acquisition of the U.S. systems-based communication companyZetron, Inc. Invested ¥20.0 billion and formed a strategic business alliance with Victor Company of Japan, Limited.
2008: Notice of establishment ofJVC Kenwood Holdings Inc.
2010: Introduces its first ATEX certified analogue two-way radio.
2011: Introduces NEXEDGEOTAP (Over The Air Programming) At the same time, JVC KENWOOD Holdings, Inc. changed its name to JVCKENWOOD Corporation. JVCKENWOOD Corporation completed an absorption of its three subsidiaries,Victor Company of Japan, Limited, Kenwood Corporation, and J&K Car Electronics Corporation.
2013: Kenwood announces launch of theTS-990S amateurradio base station. Global launch of NEXEDGE ETSI certifiedDPMR digitaltwo-way radios.
2017: Launch of mid-tier NX-3000 Series multi-protocol (NXDN/DMR)-capable hand-portable and mobile radios.
2017: Radio Activity S.r.l., a developer of digital multi-frequency, simulcast and trunked radio relay systems compliant withDigital mobile radio (DMR) standards.[10]
2018: Launch of high-specification, dual-PTT ProTalkTK-3601D hand-portableDPMR 446 radio.
2018: JVCKENWOOD acquires a minority share and announces a capital and business alliance withTait International Ltd., a specialist in critical LMR and LTE communications.[11]
2018: Dorna Sports announce a three-year contract withJVCKenwood as the radio communications sponsor of MotoGP™.[12]
2019: Implementation of the world's first scalable, single site, 64-Channel, NXDN trunked communications system at the newIstanbul Airport, planned to become the world's largest upon completion of its development phases in 2025.
2019: Launch of heavy-duty, dual-PTT ProTalkTK-3701D hand-portable digitalDPMR 446 radio.
2019: Launch of low-tier FM analogue plus digital DMR/NXDN-capable NX-1000 Series radios.
2022: JVCKENWOOD moves from the First Section of theTokyo Stock Exchange to the Prime Market due to a revision of the Tokyo Stock Exchange's market classification.
2024: Launch ofNX-3320[14][non-primary source needed] multi-protocol digital portable radio supporting NXDN, DMR, and P25, with a full keypad,GPS, and IP67-rated rugged design.
^ab"Entrepreneur Bill Kasuga Courage Helped Him Bring Music To The Public's Ears", by Patrick Seitz, Investor's Business Daily, 21 March 2011[1] (alternate link:[2])
^Staff, Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment (29 December 2017)."JVCKENWOOD to Acquire DMR Developer Radio Activity S.r.l".Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment. Retrieved14 August 2025.
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