SANYO Electric developed and released Japans first square-type, jet-style washing machine in August of 1953. As this washier was reasonably priced and featured shorter washing time and a space-saving design, it soon took the top position in the industry and made SANYO a household name throughout the country. Toshio had long dreamed of doing business overseas. In fact 'SANYO' denotes the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean, the three oceans that join the world in trade. He first realized this dream with the sale of dynamo-powered bicycle lamps. By 1956, more than one million lamps were being exported annually to various countries around the world. Countries in Southeast Asia, however, were starting to introduce import restrictions due to a shortage in foreign currency and to support domestic industrial growth. To accommodate this loss, SANYO made aggressive efforts to enter the U.S. market. At that time, transistor radios were very popular in the United States. Since SANYO had just started producing transistor radios, Toshio decided to try them out there. Knowing that the U.S. had a massive market, Toshio believed that the country would eventually become 'SANYO's most important client. For sales of SANYO products, Toshio commissioned Channel Master, at that time a major electronics manufacturer in the U.S. To succeed in this market, Toshio thought it was wise to have a partner well-versed in local business practices and who had many sales channels Toshio made his first trip to America in 1958 to visit Channel Master and other associates, and continued on to Europe to seek out further business opportunities.