Kojima Engineering was founded in 1976 by Matsuhisa Kojima, a motor-racing enthusiast who had built his fortune importing bananas and participated in Motocross racing in the 1960s. The team entered Formula Two cars in Japan before advancing to the Formula One stage with its debut chassis, the KE007, at the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix. That entry, driven by Masahiro Hasemi, generated considerable excitement: Hasemi posted the fourth-best time in the first qualifying session and ran strongly in the race before tyre trouble dropped him to an eventual eleventh place. He was initially credited with the fastest lap of the race, though several days later the Japan Automobile Federation issued a correction attributing the honour to Jacques Laffite — a clarification that spread widely in Japan but was not always reflected in international record books.
Encouraged by the debut, the team planned to enter South American races in 1977 but ultimately cancelled those efforts. Instead, Kojima built a new chassis, the KE009, for the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix.
The KE009 was constructed specifically for the Fuji event and fitted with Bridgestone tyres, which represented a switch from the Dunlop rubber used on the KE007. The Bridgestone supply proved unsatisfactory in race conditions, contributing to the team's difficulties across the weekend.
Two KE009 chassis lined up for the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix. The works entry was driven by Noritake Takahara, who could manage only 19th place on the starting grid before crashing out of the race while avoiding debris on track. The second KE009 was entered by Heros Racing for Kazuyoshi Hoshino, who converted his start into an eleventh-place finish — the same result Hasemi had recorded in the very different circumstances of the 1976 debut.
The contrast with the previous year's performance was stark. Where Hasemi had run in the points-paying positions and generated national enthusiasm, both 1977 entries exited quietly. The unsatisfactory tyre supply, the more modest qualifying pace, and Takahara's early retirement underlined how difficult the step forward had proven.
After 1977, Kojima did not return to Formula One competition. The team continued as a domestic Formula Two entrant until the late 1980s, which had always been the bedrock of its activity in Japan. The KE007 and KE009 remain the only Formula One cars built by a Japanese constructor to compete in the Formula One World Championship during that era, and the 1976 appearance in particular holds a significant place in Japanese motorsport history — partly because of the erroneous fastest-lap credit, which persisted in many international record books long after the correction was issued in Japan.
The fastest-lap confusion from the 1976 race cast a long shadow over Kojima's Formula One record. The circuit's initial timing showed Hasemi as the fastest-lap setter, and international media reported this widely. When the Japan Automobile Federation issued a press release correcting the record to Laffite — who had driven a Ligier — the revision was widely circulated within Japan but did not reach all overseas record books promptly. As a result, Kojima is credited with one Formula One fastest lap in several historical compilations, even though the official record does not support that claim.
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