Aviation History
Japan's powered aviation history began in 1910 with the country's first flights near Tokyo, and grew rapidly through military aviation in the pre-WWII era, including the wartime Mitsubishi Zero fighter. Allied occupation authorities restricted Japanese civil aviation activity after WWII; once restrictions eased in the early 1950s, Japan Airlines (1951) and the predecessor of All Nippon Airways (1952-53) were founded and became the country's two dominant carriers. Tokyo's air transport network expanded with the contentious 1978 opening of Narita Airport, while the 1985 crash of JAL Flight 123, the deadliest single-aircraft accident in aviation history, profoundly affected Japanese aviation safety culture. JAL underwent a major bankruptcy restructuring in 2010, and Japan's aviation market diversified further with the arrival of low-cost carriers such as Peach and Jetstar Japan around 2012.
Japanese army officer Yoshitoshi Tokugawa flew a Farman biplane at Yoyogi in Tokyo in December 1910, marking the first officially recorded powered flight in Japan.
Japan Airlines was established on 1 August 1951 as Japan began rebuilding civil aviation under continuing Allied occupation oversight.
Nippon Helicopter and Aeroplane Transport, the forerunner of All Nippon Airways, was founded around 1952-53 and later renamed ANA in 1957.
Japan Airlines launched its first international service in February 1954, flying from Tokyo to San Francisco.
Tokyo's New Tokyo International Airport (Narita) opened in 1978 following prolonged and sometimes violent land-acquisition disputes with local farmers.
In August 1985, Japan Air Lines Flight 123 crashed into Mount Osutaka after a structural failure, killing 520 of 524 aboard in the deadliest single-aircraft accident in aviation history.
Japan Airlines filed for corporate bankruptcy protection in January 2010, underwent major restructuring, and relisted on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2012.
Low-cost carriers Peach Aviation and Jetstar Japan began operations in 2012, introducing budget flying to the Japanese domestic market.
Japan Airlines (JAL) · All Nippon Airways (ANA) · Peach Aviation · Jetstar Japan · Skymark Airlines
General aviation history sources (Wikipedia, Britannica, JAL and ANA corporate histories); exact founding dates for ANA's earliest predecessor company vary slightly (1952 vs 1953) across sources.