News Article

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Builder of Diamond Princess

Diamond Princess was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) at the company's Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works. For more than 140 years, this yard has built passenger ships, oil tankers, cargo ships, and other maritime vessels for use all over the world.

The shipyard was established in 1857 as the Nagasaki Yotetsusho Foundry and served as Japan's first warship repair facility. In 1884, Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi, took a lease of the government-owned shipyard. He named it Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works, and started the shipbuilding business on a full scale. This shipbuilding business was later turned into Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., and was again launched as Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries, Ltd. in 1934, establishing its position as the largest private firm in Japan, manufacturing ships, heavy machinery, airplanes, and railroad cars.

Following the end of World War II, MHI was divided into three entities: West Japan Heavy-Industries, Ltd., Central Japan Heavy-Industries, Ltd. and East Japan Heavy-Industries, Ltd. It was later consolidated in 1964 and reborn as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. In 1970, MHI's automobile department became independent and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation began manufacturing and marketing automobiles.

Over the years, the yard has developed the two related businesses of shipbuilding and machineries, producing not only many of Japan's greatest ships but also a range of power generating plants and other machinery.

Today, Mitsubishi's engineering efforts are focused on the construction of high-technology/high-quality, or high-value-added ships, fuel-efficient ships, super-modern ships, and luxury cruise ships, the last being increasingly in heavy demand.