1964 Adoption of Our Parabolic Antenna for a Syncom Satellite
Technology Underpinning the Excitement of the Tokyo Olympic Games
In 1964, the Olympic Games was held in Asia for the first time — the Tokyo Olympic Games. Preparation moved on at a rapid rate for the event, attracting much attention from around the world as the symbol of Japan’s post-war restoration.
The preparation included the establishment of traffic infrastructures that were to underpin Japanese economic growth, such as the Olympic Road, the turnpike connecting the airport to the main stadium; Tokyo Monorail, the longest monorail at that time, connecting the airport to the city center; and Tokaido Shinkansen, the world’s first high-speed railway. For constructing these facilities, our PC (prestressed concrete) steel bars and the Dywidag method*, which we were licensed to employ, were adopted, allowing us to manufacture products and to engage in the construction.
At that time, great expectation was placed on real-time dissemination of the drama and excitement of the Games throughout the world. Our parabolic antenna for a Syncom satellite was adopted as part of the antenna manufactured by NEC Corporation, helping realize the dreams and hopes of people all over the world — the first satellite telecast of the Olympic Games.
Sumitomo Electric supported the excitement of the Olympic Games behind the scenes with a wide variety of technologies and products.
* Dywidag method: Concrete bridge construction method developed by the German company Dyckerhoff & Widmann, and introduced into Japan in 1958 by Sumitomo Electric
