Sanritz Corporation

Sanritz Corporation (株式会社サンリッツ) is a Japanese manufacturer specializing in polarizing films (偏光板), the optical films that control light in liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays. The company is headquartered in Nyūzen, Toyama Prefecture, Japan, and was established in December 1939. It describes itself as a pioneer of the polarizing-film industry, tracing its display heritage to 1959, when it began development work on the technology, and to 1973, when its polarizing film was adopted in the display of the world's first liquid-crystal calculator. Sanritz's core business is the research, development, manufacture, and sale of polarizing films for LCDs and other display applications. Its products are used in notebook PCs, LCD monitors, LCD televisions, mobile phones, car navigation systems, smartphones, and automotive displays. The company positions itself as a pioneer maker able to respond to demanding requirements such as high brightness, wide viewing angle, and thin form factors, drawing on long experience and accumulated know-how. In recent years it has emphasized polarizing films for automotive displays as a key growth area, alongside contributing to innovation in both LCD and OLED display technology. As of the company profile published on its official website, Sanritz Corporation has stated capital of 1,324 million yen and approximately 198 employees (as of April 2026 in one version of the profile; another version cites 199 employees as of June 2025). The representative director and president is Akihiro Ito (伊藤彰浩). Other listed officers include director and senior executive officer Taku Honda, part-time director Shinichi Takemura, part-time auditor Yasuo Yoshino, and executive officers Koji Matsumoto, Jiro Nakagawa, and Jun Sasaki. The company is privately held and does not appear to be listed on a stock exchange. Sanritz operates as a business-to-business component supplier rather than a consumer-facing brand. Its polarizing films sit inside everyday devices — at home, in offices, and around towns — making the company an unseen but important part of the display supply chain. Its official website emphasizes sustainability, management and environmental principles, management-system certifications, promotion of women's participation and employment of people with disabilities, and regional contribution, alongside recruitment and product information.

Sanritz Corporation was established in December 1939 in Japan. Its modern identity, however, is closely tied to the development of polarizing films for electronic displays. According to the company's own account, it began development work on polarizing-film technology in 1959. That early commitment placed it at the center of a historic milestone in display history: when the world's first liquid-crystal calculator was launched in 1973, the display used a polarizing film manufactured by Sanritz. This is presented by the company as the moment its original technology, pursued since 1959, intersected with a major shift in electronics. From that point, Sanritz grew alongside the expanding liquid-crystal display market. It describes itself as a pioneer maker of polarizing films — an indispensable component of LCDs — and says it has continued to strengthen research and development and refine manufacturing technology in order to supply advanced products that anticipate future needs. Over the decades, polarizing films moved from niche calculator displays into notebook PCs, LCD monitors, LCD televisions, mobile phones, car navigation systems, and smartphones, and Sanritz's business expanded with those markets. By the 2020s, the company's public communications emphasized both LCD and OLED display innovation. Its president's message states that Sanritz aims to contribute to a prosperous society by playing a part in the innovation of LCD and OLED displays. The company has identified polarizing films used in automotive displays as a business it can pursue by making the most of its accumulated technological capabilities, and it describes its approach as sincere and careful, step by step, aiming to be a company that contributes to society. Sanritz remains a privately held company. Its official company profile lists capital of 1,324 million yen and around 198–199 employees, depending on the date of the version, and identifies Akihiro Ito as representative director and president. The company is headquartered in Nyūzen, Toyama Prefecture, Japan, and maintains a corporate website with sections on company information, sustainability, products, recruitment, and news. Its history is one of a long-established Japanese materials maker that found a durable role in the global display supply chain through a single, highly specialized optical component.

• 1973

  The world's first liquid-crystal calculator is launched, using a polarizing film manufactured by Sanritz in its display.

• 1959

  The company begins development work on polarizing-film technology.

• 1939

  Sanritz Corporation is established in December.

Pioneer manufacturer of polarizing films, supplying high-brightness, wide-viewing-angle, thin-form-factor optical films to the display industry, with a focus on automotive display applications.

• Polarizing films for LCD displays

  Core product line used in notebook PCs, LCD monitors, LCD televisions, mobile phones, car navigation systems, and smartphones.

• Polarizing films for OLED displays

  Polarizing films for organic light-emitting diode displays.

• Polarizing films for automotive displays

  A focus business area for the company, leveraging its accumulated technology.

1. 1株式会社サンリッツ 公式サイトsanritz-corp.co.jp
2. 2会社案内 | 株式会社サンリッツsanritz-corp.co.jp
3. 3社長挨拶 | 株式会社サンリッツsanritz-corp.co.jp
4. 4事業案内 / 会社概要 | 株式会社サンリッツsanritz-corp.co.jp
5. 5Sanritz Corporation (Japan) - Wikidatawikidata.org