Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Limited is an international corporation based in both ChÅ«Å-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.
The company is named after its founder ShÅzÅ Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa. ShÅzÅ Kawasaki's original main base was the city of Kobe, HyÅgo. Even though it originally started out as a shipbuilding company, its most visible consumer product lines are its motorcycles and machinery, although the company and its subsidiaries also manufacture personal water craft, ships, industrial plants, tractors, trains, small engines, and aerospace equipment (including military aircraft). Subcontract work on jet aircraft (including jumbo jets) has been done for Boeing, Embraer, and Bombardier.
Kawasaki began operations in the industry in 1906. It is Japan’s largest manufacturer of rolling stock. Kawasaki produces motorcycles, jet skis, ATVs and cars. Kawasaki’s motorcycle include the Ninja sport bikes, and cruisers, dual-purpose and motocross motorcycles, as well as utility vehicles, ATVs and general-purpose gasoline engines. Kawasaki's "Jet Ski" has become a genericized trademark for any type of personal watercraft.
Kawasaki manufactures express and commuter trains, subway cars, freight trains, locomotives, monorails and new transit systems. Kawasaki is also involved in the development and design of high-speed trains such as Japan’s Shinkansen.
