Aiwa (アイワ, Aiwa) was a Japanese consumer electronics company, founded in 1951. It experienced considerable success in the 1970s and 1980s producing audio and video equipment that was sold around the world. Aiwa had a number of electronics 'firsts' including: Japan's first cassette tape recorder, Japan's first stereo cassette deck, the first company to manufacture digital audio tape (DAT) products, the first to market a recording headphone stereo, and leading in mini systems.