Carrier Japan has announced that July 17 has been officially designated as “Air Conditioning Invention Day” by the Japan Anniversary Association. The date commemorates the groundbreaking achievement of Dr. Willis Carrier, who founded Carrier and invented modern air conditioning in 1902.
On July 17 of that year, Carrier added his initials to a mechanical drawing of an air-cooling system he had designed to control humidity and improve print quality at a printing plant in New York. This act is widely recognized as the beginning of modern air conditioning technology, which has since transformed indoor environments and enabled significant industrial development.
The recognition of Air Conditioning Invention Day highlights the company’s intent to revisit the origins of this technology and emphasize its relevance amid growing environmental challenges. Carrier Japan aims to use the occasion to raise public awareness of the historical and future value of air conditioning.
A certificate presentation ceremony took place on January 16 at Carrier Japan’s Tokyo headquarters. The event was attended by Tomoyasu Tamiya, Executive Director of the Japan Anniversary Association, and Michael Gierges, President of Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa at Carrier, along with many Carrier Japan employees.
“The establishment of ‘Air Conditioning Invention Day’ is a meaningful milestone in sharing our founder’s legacy in Japan,” said Toru Kubo, President of Carrier Japan. “By honoring this history, we reaffirm our commitment to carrying forward Willis Carrier’s passion and to fulfilling our purpose of Enhancing the Lives We Live and the World We Share.”