Nippon Columbia CO.,LTD. Pressing Plant, Kawasaki Japan

Nippon Columbia's Kawasaki plant (then known as Nippon America Phonograph Works) began operations in April 1909. In May of the same year, Japan's first 10-inch single-sided record was launched; in 1910, the company began manufacturing Japan's first phonograph, the Nipponophone; in 1951, Japan's first LP record was launched; in 1982, the company began manufacturing and selling the world's first CD player simultaneously with Sony and CBS Sony. In 2005, the press factory was made a subsidiary and renamed Columbia Digital Media (CDM), and the land was sold to a major real estate company and the building to a corporate acquisition fund. In 2007, the Oigawa-cho, Shizuoka, Japan The factory was closed after relocation. A large condominium complex including a car park, nursery school and convenience store was built on the site, but a sign and monument at the nearby Minato-cho Station introducing the area as the birthplace of vinyl records can still be seen to this day. Characteristics of manufactured CDs CDs pressed from 1982-1983 had their catalog numbers stamped in the plastic outer ring mould. From 1984-1987 CD pressings had the dot matrix font and would be the "catalog number" and then a "number/letter/number" (for example, 1A1) and then a "number/number" for the last digit of the year and the month up to September (or if October, November or December, then "X" "Y" or "Z"). Later pressings have the same organization as '84-'87, but are now etched rather than dot matrix style.