Kazuo Inamori, founder, honorary chairman of Kyocera, dies at 90
Kazuo Inamori, founder and honorary chairman of electronics maker Kyocera Corp. who made the Kyoto-based company a leader in its field of industrial ceramics, has died, the company said Tuesday. He was 90.
Inamori, one of the country’s most respected business leaders, died of old age at his home in Kyoto on Aug. 24, Kyocera said. The company said it plans to hold a memorial service at a later date.
He founded Kyocera’s predecessor Kyoto Ceramic Co. specializing in fine ceramics for industrial applications in 1959 when he was 27.
Kyocera has since become one of the leading global manufacturers of electronic components, ranging from liquid crystal panels to semiconductor devices, with annual sales exceeding 1.8 trillion yen ($13 billion). The group has about 83,000 employees worldwide.
A native of Kagoshima in southwestern Japan, Inamori also established what is now KDDI Corp., one of the biggest telecommunications companies in Japan, in 1984 with the liberalization of telecom business in the country.
In 2010, Inamori became chairman of Japan Airlines Co. in response to a plea from the Japanese government to help turn around the airline, which had gone bankrupt.
He took on the job without receiving any compensation and led the company to relist on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2012. Inamori, meanwhile, had a keen interest in the country’s political situation, urging lawmakers to be committed to making Japan a mature democracy.
Inamori is known for his distinct management method called “amoeba management,” structuring an organization as a collection of small self-managing business units to make employees more aware of their units’ responsibility and profitability.
He also served as the head of the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry and vice chairman of the Kansai Economic Federation, a business lobby in western Japan.
Inamori, who became a Buddhist monk, is also known for running a private business management school called Seiwajyuku as part of his volunteer services.
As principal of Seiwajyuku, he taught his management philosophy to nearly 15,000 business owners and entrepreneurs worldwide from 1983 until 2019.
In China, where Inamori was well-known for his books translated into Chinese, news of his death was trending on Weibo, the country’s equivalent to Twitter, briefly becoming the most searched news item.
Social media comments included those mourning the loss of Inamori, calling him a “great entrepreneur” and “honorable Japanese” who taught the “philosophy of life.”
Ren Zhengfei, founder of China’s telecom-equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co., and Jack Ma, who established IT giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., were inspired by Inamori’s management philosophy.
Inamori visited China many times to give lectures. Study sessions on his business methods for young entrepreneurs have also been held in the Asian country.
Japanese business leaders offered condolences and praised his achievements.
KDDI Chairman Takashi Tanaka said, “His ambition to offer a communications service that truly benefits Japanese people led to the creation” of the telecom giant.
Japan Airlines said in a statement, “He carried out restructuring and changed our mindset with his outstanding leadership.”
Kyocera Chairman Goro Yamaguchi vowed to stay true to “our management principle of providing opportunities for the material and intellectual growth of all our employees.”