Kyocera's Kazuo Inamori Takes Over Japan Airlines

     Last month, the highly esteemed entrepreneur Kazuo Inamori was asked by the Japanese government to take over the position of Chief Executive of Japan Airlines and save it from potential bankruptcy as well as threatening buy outs from other companies. The Japanese government bestowed this exciting opportunity upon him in hopes to revive the company and essentially stimulate the economy of the country.

     Kazuo Inamori is one of the most well known businessmen in the industry. He has already built many successful companies up from the ground, including the well known Kyocera Corporation and KDDI Corporation that serve in a variety of industries and employ over 66,000 people.

 

 

Kazuo Inamori of Kyocera (left) and Ken Kuang (right) CEO of Torrey 

Hills Technologies at Kyocera's 40th anniversary celebration

     Inamori was born on Januray 30, 1932 in Kagoshima, Japan. By 1955, he had graduated from Kagoshima University with a Bachelors of Science degree in applied chemistry. By the age of 27, he had already set up Kyoto Ceramics Co., Ltd, the company that later became known as Kyocera. 
     In addition be being a successful business man, Inamori is also well known for his generous philanthropic efforts. In 1984, he set up the non-profit Inamori Foundation that offers the Kyoto Prize, a distinguished prize that honors significant contributors in the fields of Basic Science, Advanced Technology, and Arts and Philosophy.

     By the time he retired from Kyocera in 1997, Inamori was ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest in the Rinzaishu sect of the Myoshinji lineage. He was given the title of “Daiwa” meaning “great harmony”.

     Although he is 77 years old and retired, he is still very active and holds many posts outside of his company as well as running Seiwajyuku, a prestigious private management school. Overall, we wish Kazuo Inamori good luck on this magnanimous endeavor he has undertaken and hope for his continued success in all of his ventures.