Olympus Corporation

Olympus Corporation is a Japanese manufacturer of optics and reprography products, headquartered in Hachioji, Tokyo. Olympus was established in 1919, initially specializing in microscopes and thermometers, and later in imaging. Olympus holds roughly a 70 percent share of the global endoscope market, estimated to be worth approximately US$2.5 billion. It was formerly also a maker of cameras, camera lenses and dictaphones, until it divested this part to OM Digital Solutions in 2020.

In 2011, Olympus attracted worldwide media scrutiny when it fired its CEO Michael Christopher Woodford for whistleblowing, and the matter snowballed into a corporate corruption investigation with multiple arrests. In 2016, it paid US$646 million (equivalent to $804 million in 2023) in fines associated with its illegal, long running, kickback scheme.