[UPDATED 2013-12-31 1515 UTC] Tokyo Hy-Power, a manufacturer of Amateur Radio amplifiers, antenna tuners, and other equipment, is in bankruptcy, and its plant, in Saitama Prefecture near Tokyo, has been shuttered. Telephones at the company no longer are being answered, and its Japanese website has been taken down, although the company’s US website remains working. Company CEO/President Nobuki Wakabayashi, JA1DJW, founded Tokyo Hy-Power Labs in 1975. He blamed “the recent depression in the industrial RF power products area [which] has led to the very difficult financial position.”

Tokyo Hy-Power’s early products were HF antenna couplers, although within a couple of years it began manufacturing amplifiers for the Amateur Radio market, including solid-state mobile amplifiers. Among its early products was the HL-4000 linear amplifier, which the company claimed was “the first real HF band high-power linear of its kind in Japan.” It has been manufacturing RF products for the industrial market since 1984.

The company also once marketed the HT-750, a portable, low-power SSB/CW transceiver for 40, 15, and 6 meters in a hand-held transceiver form factor. At Dayton Hamvention® 2013, the company displayed a prototype of the XT-751, an advanced model it hoped to develop, covering 40 through 6 meters and with an internal antenna tuner. Among its latest products were solid-state HF amplifiers, as well as amplifiers for 6 and 2 meters.

In a December 26 news release, Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) reacted with “disappointment” and said it was “deeply saddened” to learn that Tokyo Hy-Power had gone into bankruptcy.

“This action in Japan appears to be similar to a Chapter 7 action here within the United States, as the process in this case appears to be the liquidation of organizational assets in order to attempt to fund some portion of its debt obligation(s),” the HRO release said. “This appears to indicate that a court has deemed the organization unable to be effectively reorganized under Japan’s Civil Reconstruction Code.”

HRO said it was working with AVSL, the current US service provider for Tokyo Hy-Power products “to discuss the opportunity of continued maintenance at the component level of the US-sold Tokyo Hy-Power line of amplifiers.” HRO also said it’s been in touch with the former US Tokyo Hy-Power representative Tom Rum, W5RUM, about providing telephone support — which will continue at least through January.

HRO said it has not been in direct contact with Tokyo Hy-Power regarding the bankruptcy and learned about it via the news media.