Private company

Nakajima

Japanese aircraft manufacturer and aviation engine manufacturer throughout World War II

The Nakajima Aircraft Company (中島飛行機株式会社, Nakajima Hikōki Kabushiki Kaisha) was a prominent Japanese aircraft manufacturer and aviation engine manufacturer throughout World War II. It continues as the car and aircraft manufacturer Subaru Corporation.2 It was founded by Chikuhei Nakajima.1 It ceased to exist in 1945.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1917Founded1
  • Industryaircraft industry, weapons industry1
Chikuhei nakajima
Photo: 犬養内閣編纂所, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons4

The Nakajima Aircraft Company (中島飛行機株式会社, Nakajima Hikōki Kabushiki Kaisha) was a prominent Japanese aircraft manufacturer and aviation engine manufacturer throughout World War II. It continues as the car and aircraft manufacturer Subaru Corporation.2

The story

Founded by Chikuhei Nakajima in 1917.1

The Nakajima Aircraft company was Japan's first aircraft manufacturer, and was founded in 1918 by Chikuhei Nakajima, a naval engineer, and Seibei Kawanishi, a textile manufacturer, as Nihon Hikoki (Nippon Aircraft). In 1919, the two founders split and Nakajima bought out Nihon Aircraft's factory with tacit help from the Imperial Japanese Army. The company was renamed Nakajima Aircraft Company in 1919.

The company's manufacturing facilities were:

Tokyo plant

Musashino plant

Donryu plant

Ota plant, near Ōta Station. Visited by Emperor Shōwa on November 16, 1934. Critically damaged by American bombardment on February 10, 1945. Currently a Subaru Corporation plant for kei trucks.

Koizumi plant, near Nishi-Koizumi Station. Critically damaged by American bombardment on April 3, 1945. Currently a Sanyo plant.

From Wikipedia’s article on Nakajima Aircraft Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Leadership

Who has led Nakajima, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Products and brands

Fighter

A1N - Type 3 carrier fighter (三式艦上戦闘機) - 1927 carrier-borne fighter; licensed copy of the Gloster Gambet

A2N - Type 90 carrier fighter (九〇式艦上戦闘機) - 1930 carrier biplane fighter

A4N - Type 95 carrier fighter (九五式艦上戦闘機) - 1935 carrier-borne fighter

A6M2-N - Ni-shiki suisen (二式水戦, Type 2 float fighter) - 'Rufe' 1941 floatplane version of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero

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J1N - Gekkō (月光, Moonlight) - 'Irving' 1941 Navy land-based night fighter

J5N - Tenrai (天雷, Heavenly/Divine Thunder) - 1944 Navy land-based single-seat twin-engine interceptor prototype

Kikka - Kikka (中島 橘花, Orange Blossom) - 1945 jet-engined interceptor prototype; Japan's first jet aircraft

Trainer

A3N - Type 90 Two-seat training fighter (九〇式複座練習戦闘機) - 1936 two-seat trainer developed from the A2N

Torpedo bomber

B3N - 1933 Navy torpedo bomber prototype, lost contract to the Yokosuka B3Y

B4N - 1936 Navy torpedo bomber prototype, lost contract to the Yokosuka B4Y

B5N - Type 97 carrier attacker (九七式艦攻, Kyuushichi-shiki Kanko) - 'Kate' 1937 Navy torpedo bomber

B6N - Tenzan (天山, Heavenly Mountain) - 'Jill' 1941 Navy torpedo bomber

Scout and reconnaissance aircraft

C2N - land-based reconnaissance aircraft based on the Nakajima Ki-6

C3N - Type 97 carrier reconnaissance aircraft (九七式艦上偵察機) - 1936 carrier-borne reconnaissance aircraft

C6N - Saiun (彩雲, Rainbow Cloud) - 'Myrt' 1943 carrier-borne reconnaissance aircraft

E2N - Type 15 reconnaissance floatplane (一五式水上偵察機)- 1927 reconnaissance aircraft

E4N - Type 90-2 reconnaissance seaplane (九〇式二号水上偵察機)1930 reconnaissance aircraft

E8N - Type 95 reconnaissance seaplane (九五式水上偵察機) - 'Dave' 1935 reconnaissance seaplane

E12N - 1938 reconnaissance seaplane prototype, lost to the Kawanishi E12K

Dive bomber

D2N

D3N - 1936 carrier-based dive bomber prototype based on the C3N and B5N, lost to the Aichi D3A

Heavy bomber

G5N - Shinzan (深山, Deep Mountain) - 'Liz' 1941 heavy four-engine long-range heavy bomber prototype for Project Z

G8N - Renzan (連山, Mountain Range) - 'Rita' 1945 heavy four-engine long-range heavy bomber

Fugaku - Fugaku (富嶽, Mount Fuji) - 1945 projected six-engine long-range bomber for Project Z; the G10N designation is a postwar extrapolation and was not officially used

Transport

L1N - naval version of Ki-34

L2D - Type 0 Transport (零式輸送機) -1939 Navy transport aircraft; licensed copy of Douglas DC-3

Fighter

Ko 3 (甲3) - fighter-trainer, license-built Nieuport 24

Ko 4 (甲4) - biplane fighter, license-built Nieuport-Delage NiD 29

Type 91 fighter (九一式戦闘機) - 1931 parasol monoplane fighter

Ki-8 - 1934 fighter prototype

Ki-11 - 1934 fighter prototype, lost to the Kawasaki Ki-10

Ki-12 - 1936 fighter prototype, lost to the Mitsubishi Ki-18

Ki-27 - Type 97 Fighter (九七式戦闘機) - late 1936 Army monoplane fighter

Ki-37 - 1937 fighter (project only)

Ki-43 - Type 1 Fighter (一式単座戦闘機) or Hayabusa (隼, Peregrine Falcon) - 'Oscar' 1939 Army fighter

Ki-44 - Type 2 Single-seat fighter (二式単座戦闘機) or Shōki (鍾馗, Devil-Queller) - 'Tojo' 1940 Army fighter

Ki-53 - multi-seat heavy fighter (project only)

Ki-58 - escort fighter prototype based on the Ki-49

Ki-62 - 1941 prototype fighter, competed with Kawasaki Ki-61 design

Ki-63 - version of Ki-62 powered by a radial engine

Ki-75 - heavy fighter (project only)

Ki-84 - Type 4 Fighter (四式戦闘機) or Hayate (疾風, Gale) - 'Frank' 1943 Army fighter

Ki-87 - 1945 high-altitude fighter-interceptor prototype

Ki-101 - twin-engine night fighter based on the J1N (project only)

Ki-113 - Ki-84 with some steel parts (project only)

Ki-116 - 1945 single-seat fighter prototype

Ki-117 - production designation of the Ki-84N

Ki-118 - short-range fighter modified from the Mitsubishi A7M (project only)

Ki-201 - Karyū (火龍, Fire Dragon) - prototype 1945 Army jet fighter/attack aircraft with strong resemblance to the German Messerschmitt Me 262 (project only)

Ki-337 - two-seat fighter (project only)

Bomber

B-6 - license-built Bréguet 14B.2

Ki-13 - attack aircraft (project only)

Ki-19 - 1937 Army twin-engine heavy bomber (prototypes only), lost to the Mitsubishi Ki-21

Ki-31 - two-seat light bomber (project only)

Ki-49 - Type 100 Heavy Bomber (一〇〇式重爆撃機) or Donryū (呑龍, Storm Dragon) - 'Helen' 1941 Army heavy bomber

Ki-52 - dive bomber, army version of D3N (project only)

Ki-68 - army bomber version of G5N (project only)

Ki-82 - high-speed heavy bomber (project only)

Reconnaissance

Ki-4 - Type 94 Reconnaissance aircraft (九四式偵察機) - 1933 reconnaissance biplane

Transport

Ki-6 - Type 95 Trainer (九五式二型練習機) - 1930 transport, training aircraft; licensed copy of the Fokker Super Universal

Ki-16 - cargo transport/ground refueling aircraft based on the Douglas DC-2 (project only)

Ki-34 - Type 97 Transport (九七式輸送機) - 'Thora' 1937 Army transport aircraft version of AT-2

Ki-41 - cargo transport (project only)

Ki-50 - aerial refueling/fuel tanker version of the Ki-49

Ki-80 - formation commander version of the Ki-49

Trainer

Ko 2 (甲2) - trainer, license-built version of the Nieuport 83 trainer

Kamikaze aircraft

Ki-115 - Tsurugi (剣, Sword) - 1945 kamikaze aircraft; in IJN service, it was called Tōka (藤花, Wisteria Blossom)

Ki-230 - projected kamikaze aircraft

Jet prototypes

Kikka (橘花, Orange Blossom) - 1945 Navy experimental land-based ground attack/ASW jet influenced by the Messerschmitt Me 262, two prototypes built; first Japanese jet aircraft

Civil aircraft

Nakajima-Douglas DC-2 - license-built Douglas DC-2

Super Universal - 1930 airliner; license-built Fokker Super Universal

AN-1 - a Ki-11 prototype converted to a liaison/courier aircraft for the Asahi Shimbun

AT-1 - original design of AT-2

AT-2 - 1936 passenger transport

LB-2 - Akatsuki-gō (暁号, Dawn) - 1936 navy's bomber prototype turned airliner

N-19 - a Ki-19 prototype converted to a mail plane for the Dōmei Tsushin

Nakajima N-36 - 1928 transport prototype

Nakajima P-1 - 1933 mail plane; converted from E4N

Aircraft engines

Kotobuki (寿, Longevity); license-built Bristol Jupiter

Ha5

Hikari (光, Light), development of the Nakajima Kotobuki

Sakae (栄, Prosperity) - powered both the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, and its own Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar fighters. Known as Type 99 in Army service and NK1 in Navy service

Homare (誉, Honor), air-cooled twin-row 18 cylinder radial

Ha-49

Mamoru (護, Protect)

Ha-109

Ha219 (later known as the Ha-44)

From Wikipedia’s article on Nakajima Aircraft Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 1945Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1917Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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