Microsoft's first international office in Japan

On 01/11/1978, Microsoft established its first international sales office in Japan, originally named ASCII Microsoft. The office was created through a partnership between Microsoft and ASCII Corporation, a Japanese publishing and software company led by Kazuhiko Nishi. The joint venture was formed to distribute Microsoft programming languages and software products in the Japanese market. ASCII Microsoft focused on selling Microsoft BASIC and other development tools for early personal computers in Japan. The collaboration helped adapt Microsoft software for Japanese hardware platforms and expanded the company’s reach beyond the United States. Kazuhiko Nishi played a key role in promoting Microsoft products to Japanese manufacturers and developers during the early growth of the personal computer industry. The November 1978 establishment marked Microsoft’s first international expansion and laid the foundation for its long-term presence in Asia. The joint venture later evolved into Microsoft Japan as the company expanded global operations.