Canon Names Larry Thorpe National Marketing Executive, Broadcast and Communication Division

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y.,-- Canon U.S.A., Inc, a subsidiary of Canon Inc.(NYSE: CAJ), announced the appointment of Laurence J. Thorpe to theposition of national marketing executive for the broadcast andcommunications division.

A visionary who helped pioneer HD and digital production in thebroadcast and motion picture industry, Thorpe recently retired from hispost as senior vice president of content creation systems for thebroadcast and production systems division at Sony Electronics Inc.Thorpe will help Canon expand Canon's already dominant position in thebroadcast lens market.

"We are very excited about Larry's appointment," said Toru Yamasaki,director and general manager, broadcast and communications division atCanon U.S.A., Inc. "As a well respected leader in the broadcast andfilm industry, Larry brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise toCanon's already successful broadcast lens business."

Thorpe is a renowned expert in the field of video acquisition, andis a leader of the HDTV movement in the U.S. His impressive list ofaccomplishments includes pioneering HDTV market development in the U.S.Thorpe also holds ten patents in the field of broadcastdevelopment.

Thorpe joined Sony Electronics in 1982, where he spent more than 20years leading the industry in HDTV development. Prior to Sony, heworked for RCA's Broadcast Division from 1966 to 1982, where hedeveloped a range of color television cameras and telecine products. In1981, Thorpe won the David Sarnoff Award for his innovations inautomatic studio color cameras.

From 1961 to 1966, Thorpe worked in the Designs Dept. of the BBC inLondon, England, where he participated in the development of a range ofcolor television studio products.

Thorpe is an IEE Graduate (1961) of the College of Technology inDublin, Ireland and received his Chartered Engineer (C. Eng.) and MIEEdistinction in 1966 from the Institution of Electrical Engineers inLondon, England.

Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, andindustrial imaging solutions. The Company is listed as one of Fortune'sMost Admired Companies in America, and is ranked #39 on the BusinessWeek list of "Top 100 Brands." Its parent company Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ)is a top patent-holder of technology, ranking second overall in theU.S. in 2003. Canon Inc. achieved global revenues of $29.9 billion in2003; $9.8 billion of which came from Canon Americas. For moreinformation, visit www.usa.canon.com.