Kazuo Inamori
Encyclopedia
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
) is a philanthropist, Japanese entrepreneur and the founder of Kyocera Corporation
Kyocera
is a multinational manufacturer based in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded as in 1959 by Kazuo Inamori and renamed in 1982. The company has diversified its founding technology in ceramic materials through internal development as well as strategic mergers and acquisitions...
and KDDI Corporation.
Biography
Inamori graduated from Kagoshima UniversityKagoshima University
, or is a Japanese national university located in Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.There are three campuses:* Shimoarata: Faculty of Fisheries* Sakuragaoka: Faculty of Medicine...
in 1955 with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in applied chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
. In 1959, at age 27, he established Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd. (now Kyocera Corporation
Kyocera
is a multinational manufacturer based in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded as in 1959 by Kazuo Inamori and renamed in 1982. The company has diversified its founding technology in ceramic materials through internal development as well as strategic mergers and acquisitions...
), which has grown into a multinational high-tech conglomerate
Conglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
employing more than 66,000 people, supplying a wide range of products including cellular phones, office document equipment, solar power products and ceramic components.
In 1984, he founded DDI Corporation (now KDDI
KDDI
is a Japanese telecommunications operator formed in October 2000 through the merger of DDI Corp., KDD Corp., and IDO Corp. It has its headquarters in the Garden Air Tower in Iidabashi, Chiyoda, Tokyo....
), which has grown to become Japan's second-largest telecommunication services provider.
Apart from his business activities, and using his own funds, Inamori established the non-profit Inamori Foundation in 1984. A large endowment from the foundation backs the Kyoto Prize
Kyoto Prize
The has been awarded annually since 1985 by the Inamori Foundation, founded by Kazuo Inamori. The prize is a Japanese award similar in intent to the Nobel Prize, as it recognizes outstanding works in the fields of philosophy, arts, science and technology...
s, international awards that honor significant contributors to humanity in the fields of Advanced Technology, Basic Sciences, and Arts and Philosophy.
After retiring from the chairmanship of Kyocera; Inamori was ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest in the Rinzai sect and received the priest name Daiwa (大和), meaning "great harmony".
As an entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, Inamori's interests include technological and social innovation, combating urgent world problems, and "contributing to the material and spiritual happiness of humanity and society." He has received honorary doctorates from universities in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and Japan.
His volunteer service includes leading Seiwajyuku, a private management association operating in 60 locations, including seven outside Japan. As the president of Seiwajyuku, Inamori teaches his management philosophy to 7,000 (as of October 31, 2011) business owners and entrepreneurs worldwide.
Inamori became the new CEO of Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines
is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport...
when it entered bankruptcy protection on January 19, 2010, and will lead the air carrier through its restructuring.
Awards
July 1998 Lifetime of Innovation Award from the International Union of Materials Research Societies, U.S.A.Dec. 1999 Person of the Year, The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan
Dec. 2003 Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, U.S.A.
Feb. 2007 Herb Klein Civic Leadership Award, U.S.A.
Apr. 2011 Othmer Gold Medal, Chemical Heritage Foundation, U.S.A.
Memberships
Nov. 1984 - Foreign Member, Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, Sweden1990-2002 Trustee, Carnegie Institution of Washington, U.S.A.
Apr. 1999 - Distinguished Lifetime Member, The American Ceramic Society, U.S.A.
Oct. 2000 - Foreign Associate, National Academy of Engineering, U.S.A.
May 2002 - Trustee Emeritus, Carnegie Institution of Washington, U.S.A.
Quote
"Our company exists to provide opportunities for the material and intellectual growth of all our employees,and through our joint efforts, contribute to the advancement of society and humankind."