A Brief History of ZA>Communications
    ZA>Communications, Japan’s first foreign-owned independent software company, was established by Chris Mathison in Tokyo in 1981. Shortly after incorporation, Mark Dennin of San Jose, California, returned to Japan to assume the role of Marketing Director in this fledgling enterprise. The “ZA Brothers,” as the media later nicknamed them, faced formidable challenges. They proposed to create and publish the first Japanese keyboarding program. However, at the outset, neither of them could speak or read Japanese, program computers, or even touch type. They also knew that even if they could surmount all these, the road to publication would be perilous—for they were Americans attempting to market a domestic product in the only software area the Japanese excelled in: Japanese word processors.

    Nevertheless, four years later out came ZA>COM’s first product: ABC*TYPE*RITE to widespread critical acclaim in both the foreign and domestic media. It’s revolutionary bilingual interface accompanied by stunning 3-D graphics was an immediate hit, as NEC, manufacturer of the best-selling PC 9801 series, bundled the software with machines sold to schools. Next, Epson concluded OEM agreement with ZA>COM. This resulted in publishing giant Kenkyusha offering to take over publication and distribution of ABC*TYPE*RITE from version 2, and a spin-off reference book entitled “English Business Letter Writing Handbook” being created and marketed. Software comes and goes, and by the early 90s ABC had concluded its remarkable run; but today, the handbook, now in its 5th edition, remains as a standard reference tool in Japan.